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EW-MEXICO 


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RIDER  BOYS  SERIES 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00022228251 


Stacy  Headed  Straight  for  the  Glowing  Pit. 
Frontispiect. 


The  Pony  Rider  Boys 
in  New  Mexico 


OR 


The  End  of  the  Silver  Trail 

By 
FRANK  GEE  PATCHIN 

Author  of  The  Pony  Rider  Boys  in  The  Rockies,  The  Pony  Rid* 

Boys    in    Texas,    The   Pony   Rider  Boys   in    Montana, 

The  Pony  Rider  Boys  in  The  Ozarks,  The  Pony 

Rider  Boys  in  The  Alkali,  Etc. 


Illustrated 


THE  SAALFIELD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
Akron,  Ohio  New  York 


Made  in  U.  S.  A. 


Coprright  MCMX 
By  THE  SAALFIELD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  Page 

I.  Something  in  the  Wind 7 

II.  In  the  Zuni  Foothills 22 

III.  Indians!    29 

IV.  On  the  Trail  op  Juan 40 

V.  A  Daring  Act 51 

VI.  The  Fire  Dance  of  the  Red  Men 57 

VII.  Fleeing  from  the  Enemy 71 

VIII.  Asleep  on  the  Sleept  Grass 82 

IX.  The  Midnight  Alarm 89 

X.  Meeting  the  Attack 100 

XI.  Hiding  with  Kris  Eringls 110 

XII.  The  Dash  for  Life 122 

XIII.  Following  a  Hot  Trail 132 

XIV.  Against  Big  Odds 141 

XV.  Hit  by  a  Dry  Storm 153 

XVI.  Chunky 's  New  Idea 165 

XVIL  In  the  Home  of  the  Cave  Dwellers 175 

XVIII.  Facing  the  Enemy's  Guns 186 

XIX.  Outwitting  the  Redskins ,  196 

XX.  Conclusion  , . ,  .205 


The  Pony  Rider  Boys  in  New  Mexico 

CHAPTEB   I 

SOMETHING   IN"   THE   WIND 

4S\T  THAT  was  that?" 

\/\/  "Only  one  of  the  boys  in  the  seat 

behind  us,  snoring." 

"Sure  they're  asleep"?" 

"Yes,  but  what  if  they're  not?  They  are 
only  kids.     They  wouldn't  understand." 

"Don't  you  be  too  sure  about  that.  I've 
heard  about  those  kids.  Heard  about  'em  over 
in  Nevada.  There's  four  of  them.  They  call 
themselves  the  Pony  Eider  Boys;  and  they're 
no  tenderfeet,  if  all  I  hear  is  true.  They  have 
done  some  pretty  lively  stunts." 

"Yes,  that's  all  right,  Bob,  but  we  ain't  go- 
ing to  begin  by  getting  cold  feet  over  a  bunch 
of  kids  out  for  a  holiday." 

' '  Where  they  going  ? ' ' 

"Don't  know.  Presume  they'll  be  taking  a 
trip  over  the  plains  or  heading  for  the  moun- 

7 


8  THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

tains.    They  Ve  got  a  stock  car  up  ahead  jammed 
full  of  stock  and  equipment* ' 

*  'Scarecrows  ?" 

"No.  Good  stock.  Some  of  the  slickest  pon- 
ies you  ever  set  eyes  on.  There's  one  roan  there 
that  I  wouldn't  mind  owning.  Maybe  we  can 
make  a  trade,"  and  the  speaker  chuckled  softly 
to  himself. 

A  snore  louder  than  those  that  had  preceded 
it,  caused  the  two  men  to  laugh  heartily. 

The  snore  had  come  from  Stacy  Brown. 
Both  he  and  Tad  Butler  were  resting  from  their 
long  journey  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  train. 
Further  to  the  rear  of  the  car,  their  companions, 
Ned  Rector  and  Walter  Perkins,  also  were 
curled  up  in  a  double  seat,  with  Professor  Zepp- 
lin  sitting  very  straight  as  if  sleep  were  furthest 
from  his  thoughts.  They  were  nearing  their 
destination  now,  and  within  the  hour  would  be 
unloading  their  stock  and  equipment  at  Blue- 
water. 

"They're  asleep  all  right,"  grinned  one  of 
the  two  men  who  occupied  the  seat  just  ahead 
of  Stacy  and  Tad.  "Is  old  man  Marquand  go- 
ing to  meet  us  at  the  station?" 

"Oh,  no.  That  wouldn't  be  a  good  thing. 
Might  attract  too  much  attention.  Told  him 
not  to.  We'll  get  a  couple  of  ponies  at  Blue- 
water   and   ride   across  the  mountains.      But 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  9 

we've  got  to  be  slick.  The  old  man  is  no  fool. 
He  '11  hang  on  to  the  location  of  the  treasure  till 
the  last  old  cat's  gone  to  sleep  for  good." 

"Any  idea  where  the  place  is?" 

"No.  Except  that  it's  somewhere  south  of 
the  Zuni  range." 

A  solitary  eye  in  the  seat  behind,  opened  cau- 
tiously. The  eye  belonged  to  Stacy  Brown. 
The  last  snore  had  awakened  him,  and  he  had 
lain  with  closed  eyes  listening  to  the  conversa- 
tion of  the  two  men. 

He  gave  Tad  a  gentle  nudge,  which  was  re- 
turned with  a  soft  pressure  on  Stacy's  right  arm 
as  a  warning  that  he  was  to  remain  quiet. 

"Do  you  know  what  the  treasure  consists 
of?" 

"Maybe  a  mine,  but  as  near  as  I  could  draw 
from  Marquand 's  talk  it  is  jewels  and  Spanish 
money  which  one  of  the  old  Franciscan  monks 
had  buried.  The  Pueblos  knew  where  it  was, 
but  they  sealed  the  place  up  after  the  Pueblo 
revolution  in  1680,  and  it's  been  corked  tight 
ever  since." 

"How'd  Marquand  get  wise  to  it?" 

"From  an  old  Pueblo  Chief  whose  life  he 
saved  a  few  months  ago.  The  old  chief  died  a 
little  while  afterwards,  but  before  he  went,  he 
told  Marquand  about  the  treasure." 

"Didn't  suppose  a  redskin  had  so  much  grati- 


10  THE   PONY  EFDER   BOYS 

tilde  under  his  tough  skin.  Does  the  old  man 
know  where  the  place  is?" 

"No,  not  exactly.  That's  where  we  come  in," 
grinned  the  speaker.  "We  are  going  to  help 
him  find  it." 

"And  then?" 

"Oh,  well.  There's  lots  of  ways  to  get  rid 
of  him." 

"You  mean?" 

"He  might  tumble  off  into  a  canyon,  or  some- 
thing of  the  sort,  in  the  night  time.  Here's  the 
place. ' ' 

The  train  was  rounding  a  bend  into  the  little 
town  of  Bluewater. 

"Sit  still,"  whispered  Tad.  "I  want  to  get  a 
look  at  those  fellows  so  I'll  know  them  next  time 
I  see  them." 

The  Pony  Rider  boy  left  his  seat,  and  hurry- 
ing to  the  forward  end  of  the  car,  helped  him- 
self to  a  drink  of  water  from  the  tank;  then 
slowly  retraced  his  steps. 

As  he  walked  down  the  car,  he  took  in  the 
two  men  in  one  swift,  comprehensive  glance, 
then  swung  his  hands  to  his  companions  at  the 
other  end  of  the  car,  as  a  signal  that  they  were 
arriving  at  their  destination. 

"Know  'em?"  whispered  Stacy,  as  Tad  be- 
gan pulling  his  baggage  from  the  rack. 

"Never  saw  either  before.    Better  get  your 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  11 

stuff  together.  This  train  is  fast  only  when  it 
stops.  It  drags  along  over  the  country,  hut 
when  it  gets  into  a  station  it's  always  in  a  hurry 
to  get  away, ' '  laughed  Tad. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  party  of  bronzed 
young  men  sprang  from  the  ear  to  the  station 
platform,  where  they  instantly  became  the  cen- 
ter of  a  throng  of  curious  villagers. 

Eeaders  of  the  preceding  volumes  of  this  ser- 
ies are  already  too  well  acquainted  with  tfi*e 
Pony  Eider  Boys  to  need  a  formal  introduction 
As  told  in  ' '  The  Pony  Eider  Boys  in  the  Eoch 
ies,"  the  lads  had  set  out  from  their  homes  in 
Missouri  for  a  summer's  vacation  in  the  saddle*. 
That  first  volume  detailed  how  the  lads  pene- 
trated the  fastnesses  of  the  Eockies,  hunted  big 
game  and  how  they  finally  discovered  the  Lost 
Claim,  which  they  won  after  fighting  a  battle 
with  the  mountaineers,  thus  earning  for  them- 
selves quite  a  fortune. 

In  "The  Pony  Eider  Boys  in  Texas,' '  the 
boys  were  again  seen  to  advantage.  There  thej) 
joined  in  a  cattle  drive  across  the  state  as  covjh 
boys.  They  played  an  exciting  part  in  the  rougn 
life  of  the  cowmen,  meeting  with  many  stirring 
adventure?  „  It  will  be  remembered  how,  in  thiSi 
story,  Tad  Butler  saved  a  large  part  of  the  herd, 
besides  performing  numerous  heroic  deeds,  frV 
eluding  the  saving  of  the  life  of  a  membe*  ol 


12      N   THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

the  party  from  a  swollen  river.  At  the  end  of 
their  journey,  they  solved  a  deep  mystery — a 
mystery  that  had  perplexed  and  worried  the  cat- 
tle men,  besides  causing  them  heavy  financial 
loss. 

In  "The  Pony  Rideb  Boys  in  Montana,"  the 
scene  shifted  to  the  old  Custer  Trail,  the  battle 
ground  of  one  of  the  most  tragic  events  in 
American  history.  The  story  described  how 
Tad  Butler  overheard  a  plot  to  stampede  and 
kill  a  flock  of  many  thousand  sheep;  how  after 
experiencing  many  hardships,  he  finally  carried 
the  news  to  the  owner  of  the  herd;  then  later, 
participated  in  the  battle  between  the  cowmen 
and  sheep  herders,  in  which  the  latter  came  off 
victorious. 

It  will  be  recalled  too,  how  the  Pony  Rider 
Boy  was  captured  by  the  Blaekfeet  Indians  and 
taken  to  their  mountain  retreat,  where  with  a 
young  companion  he  was  held  until  they  made 
their  escape  with  the  assistance  of  an  Indian 
maiden ;  how  they  were  pursued  by  the  savages, 
the  bullets  from  whose  rifles  singing  over  the 
heads  of  the  lads  as  they  headed  for  a  river 
into  which  they  plunged,  thus  effect*  ally  throw- 
ing off  the  savage  pursuers;  and  finally,  how  in 
time  they  made  their  way  back  to  the  camp  of 
(he  Pony  Riders,  having  solved  the  mystery  of 
the  old  Custer  Trail. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  13 

After  these  exciting  adventures,  the  lads  con- 
cluded to  cut  short  their  Montana  trip  and  go 
on  to  the  next  stage  of  their  journeyings,  which 
was  destined  to  be  even  more  stirring  than  any 
that  had  preceded  it.  How  Tad  Butler  and 
Stacy  Brown  proved  themselves  to  he  real  he- 
roes, was  told  in  "The  Pony  Eider  Boys  in  the 
Ozarks." 

For  a  long  time,  an  organized  band  of  thieves 
had  been  stealing  stock  in  the  Ozark  range, 
baffling  all  efforts  to  apprehend  them.  The  boys 
had  been  warned  to  guard  their  own  stock  care- 
fully, but  despite  this,  their  ponies  were  stolen 
from  camp,  one  by  one  and  in  a  most  mysteri- 
ous manner,  until  not  an  animal  was  left.  Then, 
one  by  one,  the  Pony  Eider  Boys  became  lost 
until  only  Tad  and  Stacy  remained.  They  were 
facing  starvation,  and  it  will  be  recalled  how 
Tad  Butler  made  a  plucky  trip  to  the  nearest 
mining  camp  for  assistance.  There  the  boys 
were  imprisoned  underground  by  a  mine  explo- 
sion; escaping  from  which,  they  met  with  perils 
every  bit  as  grave,  and  from  which  they  were 
eventually  rescued  by  Stacy  himself. 

Through  the  disaster,  the  lads  solved  the  Se- 
cret of  the  Euby  Mountain,  thus  putting  an 
end  for  good  to  the  wholesale  thieving  in  the 
Ozark  range. 

Though  the  Pony  Eider  Boys  had  suffered 


14  THE   PONY   RIDER  BOYS 

many  hardships  in  their  journeyings,  those  that 
lay  before  them  were  destined  to  try  them  even 
more.  In  "The  Pony  Rider  Boys  in  the  Al- 
kali/' they  faced  the  perils  of  the  baking  alkali 
desert.  It  will  be  recalled  how  they  fonght  des- 
perately for  water  when  all  the  nsual  sources  of 
supply  were  found  to  have  run  dry ;  how  Tad  and 
Stacy  Brown  were  captured  by  a  desert  hermit 
and  thrown  into  a  cave ;  how,  after  their  escape, 
they  were  lost  in  the  Desert  Maze,  and  how  after 
many  hardships,  they  finally  succeeded  in  making 
their  way  to  camp,  dragging  behind  them  a  wild 
coyote  that  Tad  had  roped  when  the  boys  were 
beset  by  the  wild  beasts  in  the  dead  of  night. 

Nothing  daunted  by  their  trying  experiences 
the  Pony  Rider  Boys  set  out  on  the  concluding 
trip  of  the  season — a  journey  over  the  historic 
plains  and  mountains  of  New  Mexico.  After  a 
long  railroad  ride,  they  had  finally  arrived  at 
the  town  of  Bluewater,  from  which  they  were  to 
begin  their  explorations  in  the  southwest. 

A  guide  was  to  meet  and  conduct  them  across 
the  mountains  of  the  Zuni  range  and  so  on  to 
the  southern  borders  of  the  state. 

By  the  time  they  reached  the  platform  of  the 
station,  the  stock  car  had  been  uncoupled  and 
was  being  shifted  to  a  side  track  where  they 
might  unload  their  belongings  at  their  leisure. 

"I  wonder  where  that  guide  is,"  said  Tad. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  15 

"He  was  told  to  be  here,"  answered  the  Pro- 
fessor. 

"Never  mind;  we  can  nnload  better  without 
him,"  averred  Ned,  starting  off  at  a  brisk  trot 
for  their  car  which  had  been  shunted  alongside 
the  platform  at  the  rear  of  the  station. 

With  joyous  anticipation  of  the  new  scenes 
and  experiences  that  lay  before  them,  the  lads 
set  briskly  to  work,  and  within  an  hour  had  all 
the  stock  and  equipment  removed  from  the  car. 

There  was  quite  an  imposing  collection,  with 
their  ponies,  their  burros,  tents  and  other  equip- 
ment, the  latter  lying  strewn  all  over  the  open 
level  space  beyond  the  station. 

"Looks  as  if  a  circus  had  just  come  to  town," 
laughed  Walter. 

"We've  got  a  side  show,  anyway,"  retorted 
Ned. 

"What's  our  side  show?" 

"Chunky's  that." 

"No;  he's  the  clown.  The  rest  of  us  are  the 
animals,  only  we're  not  in  cages." 

"Hey,  fellows,  see  that  funny  Mexican  on  the 
burro  there,"  laughed  Chunky.  "Guess  he 
never  saw  an  outfit  like  ours  before." 

The  lads  could  not  repress  a  laugh  as  they 
glanced  at  the  figure  pointed  out  by  Stacy. 

The  man  was  sitting  on  the  burro,  his  feet 
extended   on  ihe   ground  before   him,   hands 


16  THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

thrust  deep  into  trousers  pockets.  He  was  ob- 
serving the  work  of  the  boys  curiously.  The 
fellow's  high,  conical  head  was  crowned  by  a 
peaked  Mexican  hat,  much  the  worse  for  wear, 
while  his  coarse,  black  hair  was  combed  straight 
down  over  a  pair  of  small,  piercing,  dark  eyes. 
The  complexion,  or  such  of  it  as  was  visible 
through  the  mask  of  wiry  hair,  was  swarthy, 
his  form  thin  and  insignificant. 

Stacy  Brown  strode  over  to  him  somewhat 
pompously. 

"You  speak  English ?"  questioned  the  boy. 

"Si,  senor." 

The  Mexican's  lips  curled  back,  revealing  two 
rows  of  gleaming,  white  teeth. 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  it.  I  didn't  think  yon 
could.  "We  are  looking  for  a  guide  who  was 
to  have  met  us  here  to  conduct  us  over  the 
mountains.  His  name  is  Juan.  It'll  be  some- 
thing else  when  he  does  show  up.  Do  you  know 
him?" 

"Si,  senor." 

"Isn't  he  coming  to  meet  us?" 

"Si,  senor." 

"Well,  I  must  say  he's  taking  his  time  about 
getting  here.    Where  is  he?" 

"Juan  here,  senor." 

"Here?  I  don't  see  him,"  answered  the  la^ 
looking  about  the  place. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  17 

"Me  Juan,"  grinned  the  Mexican. 

"You!" 

"Si " 

"Never  mind  the  senor.  I'll  take  for  granted 
I'm  a  senor,  or  whatever  else  you  think.  Say, 
fellows,  come  here, ' '  commanded  Stacy. 

"Well,  what's  the  matter?"  demanded  Ned, 
approaching,  followed  by  the  other  boys. 

"This  is  it,"  announced  Stacy,  with  a  wave 
of  his  hand  toward  the  Mexican, 

"What  is  it?"  sniffed  Ned. 

"This." 

"Chunky,  what  are  yon  getting  atf"  ques- 
tioned Walter. 

"Perhaps  this  gentleman  will  know  where 
we  may  find  our  guide,"  interrupted  the  Profea- 
Bor,  coming  up.  "Senor,  do  yon  know  on© 
Juan " 

"Yes,  he  knows  him,"  grinned  Stacy.  "Hete 
very  well  acquainted  with  the  gentleman.1* 

"Then  where  may  we  find  this  Juan •*' 

"That's  Juan — that's  your  guide,"  Stacy  in- 
formed the  Professor. 

"You — are  you  the  guide?" 

"Si,  senor." 

The  Professor  opened  his  eyes  in  amazement. 
The  burro,  on  the  other  hand,  stood  with  notfB 
to  the  ground  sound  asleep,  oblivious  to  all  that 
was  taking  place  about  him* 


m  THE   FONT   RIDER  BOYS 

"Why  didn't  you  make  yourself  known- 
why  haven't  you  helped  us  to  unload ?"  de- 
manded the  Professor  in  an  irritated  tone. 

"Me  no  peon.    Me  guide." 

"He's  a  guide,"  explained  Stacy.  "Guides 
don't  work,  you  know,  Professor.  They  are 
/ust  ornaments.  He  and  the  burro  are  going 
to  pose  for  our  amusement." 

The  boys  laughed  heartily.  Professor  Zepplin 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  impatience. 

"Sir,  if  you  are  going  with  this  outfit  you 

111  be  expected  to  do  your  share  of  the  labor, 
'here  are  no  drones  in  our  hive." 

"No;  we  all  work,"  interposed  Stacy. 

"And  some  of  us  are  eaters,"  added  Ned. 

luan  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  showed  his 
pearly  teeth. 

At  the  Professor's  command,  however,  Juan 
stepped  off  the  burro  without  in  the  least  dis- 
turbing that  animal's  dreams  and  lazily  began 
collecting  the  baggage  as  directed  by  the  Pro- 
fessor. After  the  equipment  had  been  sorted 
foito  piles,  the  boys  did  it  up  into  neat  packs 
which  they  skillfully  strapped  to  the  backs  of 
the  burros  of  their  pack  train.  Juan,  lost  in 
contemplation  of  their  labors,  forgot  his  own 
duties  until  reminded  of  them  by  Stacy,  who 
gave  the  guide  a  violent  poke  in  the  ribs  with  his 
tluimb. 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  19 

Juan  started;  then,  with  a  sheepish  grin,  be- 
came busy  again. 

It  was  no  small  task  to  get  their  belongings 
in  packs  preparatory  to  the  journey;  but  late 
in  the  afternoon  the  boys  had  completed  their 
task.  They  had  had  nothing  to  eat  since  early 
morning.  But  they  were  too  anxious  to  be  on 
their  way  to  wait  for  dinner  in  town. 

After  making  some  necessary  purchases  in 
the  village,  the  procession  finally  started  away 
across  the  plain. 

"You'll  never  get  anywhere  with  that  sleepy 
burro,  Juan,"  decided  the  Professor,  with  a 
shake  of  the  head. 

"Him  go  fast,"  grinned  the  Mexican. 

"So  can  a  crab  on  dry  land,"  jeered  Ned. 

Just  then  the  guide  utter  a  series  of  shrill 
"yi-yi's,"  whereupon  the  lads  were  treated  to 
an  exhibition  such  as  they  never  had  seen  be- 
fore. 

The  sleepy  burro  projected  his  head  straight 
out  before  him,  while  his  tail,  raised  to  a  level 
with  his  back,  stuck  straight  out  behind  him. 
The  burro,  seemingly  imbued  with  sudden  life, 
was  off  at  a  pace  faster  than  a  man  could  run. 

It  was  most  astonishing.  The  boys  gazed  in 
amazement;  then  burst  out  in  a  chorus  of  ap- 
proving yells. 

But  it  was  the  rider,  even  more  than  the  burro, 


20  THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

that  excited  their  mirth.  His  long  legs  were 
working  like  those  of  a  jumping  jack,  and 
though  astride  of  the  burro,  Juan  was  walking 
at  a  lively  pace.  It  reminded  one  of  the  way 
men  propelled  the  old-fashioned  velocipedes 
years  before. 

A  cloud  of  dust  rose  behind  the  odd  outfit  as 
the  party  drew  out  on  the  plains.  Their  ponies 
were  started  at  a  gallop,  which  was  necessary 
to  enable  them  to  keep  up  with  the  pace  that 
Juan  had  set* 

"Here!    Here!"  shouted  the  Professor. 

Juan  never  looked  back. 

1  *  We  're  lea ving  the  pack  train.    Slow  down ! * ' 

Laughingly  the  lads  pulled  their  ponies  down 
to  a  walk;  then  halted  entirely  to  enable  the 
burros  to  catch  up  with  them.  By  this  time  the 
pack  animals  had  become  so  familiar  with  their 
work  that  little  attention  was  necessary  on  the 
part  of  the  boys.  Now  and  then  one  more  sleepy 
than  the  rest  would  go  to  sleep  and  pause  to 
doze  a  few  minutes  on  the  trail.  This  always 
necessitated  all  hands  stopping  to  wait  until 
the  sleeper  could  be  rounded  up  and  driven  up 
to  the  bunch. 

Juan  had  disappeared.  They  were  discussing 
the  advisability  of  sending  one  of  the  boys  out 
after  him  when  he  was  seen  returning.  But  at 
what  a  different  gait!    His  burro  was  dragging 


IN   NEW  MEXICO  21 

itself  along  with  nose  to  the  ground,  while  Juan 
himself  was  slouching  on  its  hack  half  asleep. 

"You  must  have  a  motor  inside  that  beast," 
grinned  Tad. 

"Him  go  some,  eenor?" 

"Him  do,"  answered  Stacy,  his  solemn  eyes 
taking  in  the  sleepy  burro  wonderingly. 

"Better  not  waste  your  energy  performing," 
advised  the  Professor.  "We  shall  need  what 
little  you  have.  We  will  make  camp  here,  as 
I  see  there  is  a  spring  near  by.  Help  the  boys 
unpack  the  burros." 

"Si,  senor,"  answered  the  guide,  standing 
erect  and  permitting  his  burro  to  walk  from 
under  him. 

With  shouts  and  songs  the  lads,  in  great  good 
humor,  went  to  work  at  once,  pitching  their 
camp  for  the  first  time  on  the  plains  of  New 
Mexico.  There  was  much  to  be  done,  and  twi- 
light was  upon  them  before  they  had  advanced 
far  enough  to  begin  cooking  their  evening  meal. 


22  THE   PONY  EIDER   BOYS 

CHAPTER  n 

IN   THE   ZT7NI   FOOTHILLS 

A  SUDDEN  wail  from  the  guide  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  party  to  him  at  once. 
"Now  what's  the  matter ?"  demanded 
Tad,  hurrying  to  him. 

The  guide  had  thrown  himself  prone  upon  the 
ground  and  was  groaning  as  if  in  great  agony, 
offering  no  reply  to  the  question. 

"Are  you  sick?" 

"Si,  si,  senor,"  moaned  Juan. 

"Where?" 

* '  Estomago — mucho  malo.  *  * 

"Your  stomach?" 

"He's  got  a  pain  under  his  apron,"  diagnosed 
Stacy  solemnly. 

"Been  working  too  hs>rd,"  suggested  Ned. 

In  the  meantime  the  guide  was  rolling  and 
twisting  on  the  ground,  glancing  appealingly 
from  one  to  the  other  of  them. 

"Professor,  hadn't  you  better  fetch  your 
medicine  case  and  dose  him  up?"  asked  Tad. 

"Yes,  I'il  attend  to  him." 

"Give  him  a  good  dose  while  you  are  about 
it,"  urged  Ned.  "Something  that  will  cure  his 
laziness  at  the  same  time." 


IN   NEW  MEXICO  23 

The  Professor  brought  his  case;  then,  remem- 
bering something  else  in  his  kit  that  he  wanted, 
he  laid  the  case  down  and  hurried  back  to  his 
tent.  However,  Stacy  opened  the  case,  select- 
ing a  bottle,  apparently  at  random,  drew  the 
cork  and  held  the  bottle  under  Juan's  nose. 

" Smell  of  this,  my  son.  It'll  cure  your 
estomago  on  the  run." 

"Be  careful,  Chunky,  what  are  you  doing 
there  I ' '  warned  Tad,  ' '  You  shouldn  't  fool  with 
the  medicines.     You— — " 

His  further  remarks  were  cut  short  by  a  sud- 
den yell  of  terror  and  pain  from  Juan. 

The  guide  leaped  to  his  feet  choking,  gasping, 
while  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks  as  he  danced 
about  as  if  suddenly  bereft  of  his  senses. 

"Now  you've  gone  and  done  it,"  growled 
Ned.  "He  never  moved  so  fast  in  his  life,  I'll 
wager." 

Juan  was  running  in  a  circle  now,  shrieking 
and  moaning.  Professor  Zepplin  approached 
them  in  a  series  of  leaps.  He  could  not  imagine 
what  new  disaster  had  overtaken  the  lazy 
Mexican. 

"Here,  here,  here,  what's  the  trouble  now?" 
he  demanded  sternly.    "Stop  that  howling!" 

"  Chunky 's  been  prescribing  for  your  patient 
in  your  absence,"  Ned  informed  him. 

The  Professor  grabbed  the  wild  guide  by  the 


24  THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

collar,  giving  him  a  vigorous  shake.  When  he 
released  his  grip,  Juan  sank  to  the  ground  in  a 
heap,  moaning  weakly. 

"What's  that  you  say?  Stacy  pre- 
scribed  " 

"I — I  let  him  smell  of  the  bottle,"  explained 
Stacy  guiltily. 

"What  bottle?" 

Stacy  slowly  picked  up  the  offending  bottle 
and  handed  it  to  the  Professor. 

"Ammonia!  Boy,  you  might  have  put  his 
eyes  out !  Never  let  this  occur  again.  Remem- 
ber, you  are  not  to  touch  the  medicines  under 
any  circumstances  whatever!" 

"Yes,  sir,"  agreed  Chunky  meekly,  while  Ned 
Rector  strolled  away,  shaking  with  laughter. 

"Drink,"  begged  the  patient. 

"Fetch  him  some  water,"  directed  Professor 
Zepplin. 

"No,  no,  no,  senor,"  protested  Juan,  gesticu- 
lating protestingly. 

"What  do  you  want?" 

"Guess  he  wants  something  stronger  than 
water,"  suggested  Ned. 

"Si,  si,  si,"  agreed  the  guide,  showing  his 
white  teeth  in  an  approving  grin. 

"You  won't  get  anything  stronger  than  that 
in  this  outfit,  unless  you  cook  yourself  some 
coffee,"  muttered  Tad. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  25 

"That's  what's  the  matter  with  him,"  de- 
cided Chunky,  who  had  been  observing  the  sick 
man  keenly. 

"Guess  we  drew  a  prize  when  we  got  Juan/' 
announced  Walter. 

"Give  him  some  medicine,  anyway,"  urged 
Ned.    "He  is  sick — let  him  take  the  dose." 

"Let  him  have  the  worst  you've  got  in  your 
case,  Professor,"  added  Tad,  with  a  laugh. 

A  grim  smile  played  about  the  corners  of  Pro- 
fessor Zepplin's  mouth  as  he  ran  his  fingers  over 
the  bottles  in  his  medicine  case.  Finally,  se- 
lecting one  that  seemed  to  fit  the  particular  ail- 
ment of  his  patient,  he  directed  Chunky  to  fetch 
a  spoon. 

By  this  time  Juan  was  protesting  volubly  that 
he  was  "all  better"  and  did  not  need  the  medi- 
cine. The  Professor  gave  no  heed  to  the  fel- 
low's protestations. 

"Open  your  mouth,"  he  commanded. 

Juan  shut  his  teeth  tightly  together. 

"Open  your  mouth!"  commanded  the  Profes- 
sor sternly.  "We  want  no  sick  men  about  this 
camp.    It  will  fix  you  in  a  minute." 

But  the  guide  steadfastly  refused  to  separate 
the  white  teeth. 

"Boys,  open  his  mouth  while  I  pour  the  medi- 
cine down  him,"  gritted  the  Professor. 

They  required  no  urging  to  do  the  Professor's 


26  THE  PONT   EIDER   BOYS 

bidding.  Tad  and  Ned  ranged  themselves  on 
either  side  of  the  patient,  while  Chunky  sat  on 
the  guide's  feet.  Almost  before  he  was  aware 
of  their  purpose  the  boys  had  pried  his  jaws 
open  and  into  the  opening  thus  made  Professor 
Zepplin  dropped  the  concoction  he  had  mixed. 

The  effect  was  electrical.  Juan  leaped  to  his 
feet  as  if  elevated  by  springs,  uttering  a  yell 
that  might  have  been  heard  a  mile  or  more  on 
the  open  plain.  But  Juan  did  not  run  in  a 
circle  this  time.  Acting  upon  the  mathematical 
theory  that  a  straight  line  is  the  shortest  dis- 
tance between  two  points,  the  guide  made  a 
break  for  the  spring,  howling  like  a  madman. 
The  Pony  Rider  Boys  looked  on  in  amazement. 

Juan  fell  on  his  knees  before  the  spring,  dip- 
ping up  the  water  in  his  hands. 

' '  What  did  you  give  him,  Professor  ? ' '  grinned 
Tad. 

"Hot  drops!"  answered  the  man  of  science 
tersely. 

"Not  that  stuff  you  fed  me  when  I  ate  too 
much  honey  in  the  Rockies?"  questioned  Stacy. 

"The  same." 

"Wow!  I  had  ten  drops  and  it  felt  like  a 
pailful  when  it  got  inside  of  me." 

"How  much  did  you  give  Juan?"  questioned 
Walter. 

"Twenty  drops,"  answered  Professor  Zepplin 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  27 

without  the  suspicion  of  a  smile  on  his  face  this 
time. 

The  Pony  Rider  Boys  added  their  yells  to 
those  of  the  guide,  only  with  a  difference.  The 
more  Juan  drank  of  the  spring  water,  the  more 
did  the  hot  drops  burn. 

All  at  once  he  sprang  up  and  started  for  th* 
plain. 

"Catch  him!"  commanded  the  Professor. 

With  a  shout  the  lads  started  in  pursuit. 
They  overhauled  the  guide  some  twenty  rods 
from  camp,  he  having  proved  himself  fleet  of 
foot.  Then  again,  the  fire  within  him  perhaps 
helped  to  increase  his  natural  speed. 

"I  burn!  1  burn!"  he  wailed  as  the  boys 
grabbed  and  laughingly  hustled  him  back  to 
camp. 

"You'll  burn  worse  than  that  if  you  ever  ask 
for  liquor  in  this  outfit,"  retorted  Ned.  "We 
don't  use  the  stuff,  nor  do  we  allow  anyone 
around  us  who  does." 

"How  do  you  feel  now?"  grinned  the  Profes- 
sor as  they  came  up  to  him  with  their  prisoner. 

"He's  got  a  whole  camp-fire  in  bis  little 
estomago,"  announced  Chunky  solemnly,  which 
sally  elicited  a  loud  laugh  from  the  boys. 

"Give  him  some  olive  oil,"  directed  the  Pro- 
fessor. "I  think  the  lesson  has  been  sufficiently 
burned  into  him  " 


28  THE  PONT  EIDEE  BOYS 

But  considerable  persuasion  was  necessary  to 
induce  Juan  to  take  a  spoonful  of  the  Profes- 
sor's medicine.  He  had  already  had  one  sample 
of  it  and  he  did  not  want  another.  Yet  after 
some  urging  he  tasted  of  the  oil,  at  first  gin- 
gerly; then  he  took  it  down  at  a  gulp, 

"Ah!"  he  breathed. 

"Is  it  good?"  grinned  Tad. 

"Si.  Much  burn,  much  burn,"  he  explained,, 
rubbing  his  stomach. 

"Think  you  want  some  liquor  still,  Juan,  or 
would  you  prefer  another  dose  of  my  magic 
drops?" 

"No,  no,  no,  senor!"  cried  Juan,  hastily  mov- 
ing away  from  Professor  Zepplin. 

"Very  well;  any  time  when  you  feel  a  long- 
ing for  strong  drink,  just  help  yourself  to  the 
hot  drops,"  said  the  Professor,  striding  away 
to  his  tent,  medicine  case  in  hand. 

The  guide,  a  much  chastened  man,  set  about 
assisting  in  getting  the  evening  meal,  but  the 
hot  drops  still  remained  with  him,  making  their 
presence  known  by  occasional  hot  twinges. 

Supper  that  night  was  an  enjoyable  affair, 
though  it  was  observed  that  the  guide  did  not 
eat  heartily. 

"Do  you  think  he  really  had  a  pain?"  asked 
Walter  confidentially,  leaning  toward  Ned. 

"Pain?    No.    He  wanted  something  else." 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  29 

"And  he  got  it,"  added  Stacy,  nodding 
solmnly. 

A  chorus  of  "he  dids"  ran  around  the  table, 
stopping  only  when  they  reached  Juan  himself. 


CHAPTER  IH 

Indians! 

M  X  UAN,  did  you  see  two  men  get  off  the 
train  at  Bluewater  yesterday  when  we 
did?  One  of  them  had  a  big,  broad  som- 
brero like  mine?''  asked  Tad,  riding  up  beside 
the  guide  next  day  while  they  were  crossing  the 
range. 

"Si." 

"Know  them?" 

"Si,"  he  replied,  holding  up  one  finger. 

"You  mean  you  know  one  of  them?" 

The  guide  nodded. 

"Who  is  he?" 

"Senor  Lasar." 

"Lasar.    What's  his  other  name?" 

"Juan  not  know." 

"Did  they  stop  in  the  village?" 

"No.  Seiiors  get  ponies,  ride  over  moun- 
tain," and  the  guide  pointed  lazily  to  the  south- 
west. 

"Where  did  they  go?    Do  you  know?" 


3t)  THE  PONY   RIDER  BOYS 

Juan  shrugged  his  shoulders,  indicating  that 
he  did  nut. 

"What  is  Mr.  Lasar's  business?" 

Again  the  guide  answered  with  a  shrug.  He 
seemed  disinclined  to  discuss  the  man  in  whom 
Tad  Butler  was  so  much  interested.  Up  to  that 
time  the  lad  had  been  too  fully  occupied  with 
ether  matters  to  think  of  the  conversation  he 
and  Stacy  had  overheard  on  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  train.  Now  it  came  back  to  him  with 
full  force. 

"Know  anybody  by  the  name  of  Marquand 
in  this  country  ?"  he  asked,  taking  another  tack. 

Juan  said  he  did  not,  and  then  Tad  gave  up 
his  (questioning. 

"I  was  asking  Juan  about  the  two  men  who 
sat  ahead  of  us  in  the  train  yesterday,"  he  ex- 
plained to  Chunky,  as  the  fat  boy  joined  them. 

"Wha'd  he  say?" 

"One  is  named  Lasar,  but  he  did  not  know 
the  other  one.  1  can't  help  believing  that  those 
fellows  were  plotting  to  do  some  one  a  great 
injury." 

"So  do  I,"  agreed  Chunky.  "I  guess  we  had 
better  not  say  anything  about  it  to  the  others, 
but  we'll  try  to  find  out  who  this  man  Lasar 
is,  and  who  Mr.  Marquand  is.  Then  we'll  de- 
cide what  to  do  next." 

Their  further  conversation  was  interrupted 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  31 

by  the  voice  of  the  Professor,  announcing  that 
they  would  halt  for  their  noonday  meal.  All 
other  thoughts  left  the  mind  of  Stacy  Brown 
when  the  question  of  food  was  raised.  He 
quickly  slipped  from  his  pony,  running  back  to 
hurry  the  burros  along  so  as  to  hasten  the  meal 
for  which  he  was  yearning.  Only  one  burro 
was  unpacked,  as  it  was  the  intention  of  the 
outfit  to  push  on  soon  after  finishing  their  lunch. 

While  the  guide,  under  Ned's  direction,  was 
making  it  ready,  Tad  and  Chunky  strolled  off 
to  climb  a  high  rock  that  they  had  seen  in  the 
vicinity  and  which,  they  thought,  might  give 
them  a  good  view  of  the  plains  to  the  south* 
west  on  the  other  side  of  the  range. 

They  had  promised  to  be  back  in  half  an  hour, 
but  circumstances  arose  that  caused  them  to  de- 
lay their  return  considerably. 

After  threshing  through  the  bushes,  over 
sharp  rocks  and  through  miniature  canyons,  they 
gained  at  last  the  object  of  their  quest.  The  dis- 
tance had  been  further  than  they  had  imagined. 

"We'll  have  to  make  a  short  trip  of  it  up  to 
the  top  and  back,"  said  Tad.  "It  has  taken  us 
almost  all  our  time  to  get  here.  But  we'll  have 
a  look,  anyway." 

They  soon  gained  the  top  of  the  rock,  which 
stood  some  twenty  feet  higher  than  the  crest  of 
the  mountain  on  which  it  rested. 


32  THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

"Isn't  this  great?"  exclaimed  Tad. 

"Mi glit  think  we  were  in  the  Rockies." 

"Or  the  Ozarks." 

"I  hope  we  don't  have  as  much  trouble  here 
as  we  did  in  that  range.  Our  guide  is  not  much 
better  than  the  Shawnee  we  had  for  a  time  on 
that  trip.  I  can't  see  the  foothills,  but  the  plain 
on  beyond  is  pretty  clear." 

"Hope  we  don't  have  to  chase  all  over  the 
desert  for  water.     I " 

Tad  grasped  his  companion  by  the  sleeve  and 
jerked  him  violently  to  the  rock. 

' l  What 's  up  f  What 's  the  matter  with  you  ? ' ' 
protested  Stacy. 

"Keep  still,  some  one's  coming." 

The  lad's  keen  ears  had  caught  a  sonnd  which 
Stacy  had  entirely  failed  to  hear.  It  was  the 
sound  of  horses  making  their  way  through  the 
bushes.  There  were  several  in  the  party,  Tad 
could  tell  by  the  sounds,  and  having  in  mind  the 
man  Lasar,  he  thought  he  might  perhaps  learn 
something  of  advantage  by  remaining  quietly 
on  the  top  of  the  rock. 

All  this  he  explained  in  a  few  brief  words 
to  his  companion.  Then  both  boys  crouched 
low,  peering  over  the  cliff,  having  first  removed 
their  sombreros. 

What  they  saw,  a  few  moments  later,  sur- 
prised them  very  much  indeed. 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  33 

The  horsemen  in  single  file  suddenly  appeared 
out  of  a  draw  to  the  east  and  headed  for  the 
rock  where  the  lads  were  in  hiding. 

' '  Look !  Look ! ' '  exclaimed  Tad  in  a  low,  sup- 
pressed voice. 

"I-n-d-i-a-n-s!"  breathed  Chunky. 

They  seemed  to  rise  right  up  out  of  the 
ground,  as  one  by  one  they  emerged  from  the 
draw  to  the  more  level  rocks  that  lay  about 
the  hiding  place  of  the  Pony  Eider  Boys. 

1 '  I  wonder  who  they  are  ? ' '  questioned  Tad. 

"They  look  savage.  I  wonder  if  they'd  hurt 
us,  Tad?" 

"I  don't  know.  I  do  know,  though,  that  I 
wouldn't  trust  those  ugly  faces  one  second.  I 
thought  the  Blackfeet  were  savage,  but  they're 
not  to  be  compared  with  these  redskins." 

A  full  dozen  of  them  had,  by  this  time,  come 
into  view.  They  sat  huddled  on  their  ponies, 
their  painted  faces  just  appearing  above  the 
gayly  colored  blankets  in  which  they  were  en- 
veloped. 

"They  must  be  cold,"  muttered  Chunky. 
"Shouldn't  think  they'd  need  bed  clothes 
around  them  this  time  of  the  year." 

"Not  so  loud,  Chunky,"  warned  Tad. 

"Know  what  they  are,  Tad?" 

"I  wouldn't  say  positively,  but  somehow  they 
look  to  me  like  Apaches." 


M  THE  PONY  EIDEE  BOYS 

Tad's  surmise  was  correct.  The  twelve  war- 
riors were  members  of  the  savage  band  that  had 
in  past  years  caused  the  Government  so  much 
trouble  and  bloodshed. 

"They're  off  their  reservation,  if  they  are 
Apaches,' '  whispered  the  lad. 

"What  does  that  indicate,  Tad?" 

"I  don't  know.  They  may  be  on  the  war- 
path; then,  again,  they  may  be  down  here  after 
game.  I'm  not  sure  even,  if  there  is  any  game 
here.  We'll  lie  still  until  they  get  by  us.  That's 
the  best  plan;  don't  you  think  so!" 

"Yes." 

"Lie  perfectly  still,  Chunky.  The  little 
bushes  in  front  of  us  will  screen  U3,  providing 
we  don't  move  about.  Indians  have  quick  eyes, 
though  they  do  look  as  if  they  were  half 
asleep." 

' '  They  're  getting  off  their  horses,  Tad.  What 
does  that  mean?" 

"I  don't  know." 

Tad  peered  through  the  bushes,  noting  every 
move  that  the  redskins  made.  At  first  he 
thought  they  had  discovered  him  and  were 
about  to  surround  the  rock  and  take  him  pris- 
oner. But  he  soon  saw  that  such  was  not  their 
intention.  Tethering  their  ponies,  the  Indians 
cast  their  blankets  on  the  ground,  after  having 
first  picked  out  a  suitable  place. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  35 

"They're  making  camp,"  whispered  Tad. 

One  after  another  of  the  savages  took  out  his 
pipe,  and  soon  the  odor  from  burning  tobacco 
was  wafted  to  the  nostrils  of  the  hidden  Pony 
Rider  Boys. 

"Guess  they're  going  to  get  some  dinner/' 
decided  Stacy,  observing  that  the  strangers 
were  gathering  brush. 

This  was  the  case.  The  ponies  had  been 
staked  where  they  could  browse  on  the  green 
leaves,  and  now  their  masters  were  about  to 
satisfy  their  own  appetites. 

Tad  groaned. 

"What  is  it?"  questioned  Stacy  apprehen- 
sively. 

"They  will  be  here  half  of  the  day  at  least. 
I  know  a  little  about  Indians,  having  been  cap- 
tured by  them  once.  The  difference  is  that  my 
Indians  were  in  a  hurry  to  get  somewhere. 
These  fellows  seem  to  have  all  the  time  in  the 
world.  They're  waiting — killing  time  for  some 
reason.  You'll  see,  after  they  finish  their  din- 
ner, that  they  will  smoke  some  more,  then  lie 
down  for  a  catnap." 

"And — and  what '11  we  be  doing?" 

"We'll  be  hiding  on  the  top  of  this  rock, 
Chunky." 

"Wish  I  had  my  rifle." 

"Lucky  for  both  of  us  that  yon  haven t.** 


36  THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

The  lads  had  been  talking  in  whispers,  but 
the  words  fairly  froze  in  their  months,  when, 
upon  glancing  down  they  saw  the  eyes  of  a  sav- 
age fixed  upon  them.  f 

"On  your  life,  don't  move  a  muscle,  Chunky^ 
whispered  Tad,  as  soon  as  he  had  recovered  his 

wits.  .  , 

Tad  was  not  sure  that  the  Indian  saw  them, 
yet  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  savage  eyes 
were  burning  into  their  very  own. 

Soon,  however,  the  Indian  dropped  his 
glances  to  his  pipe  bowl  and  the  boys  breathed 
a  sigh  of  relief. 

"Don't  move  yet,  Chunky,"  directed  Tad. 
It  was  a  wise  command,  for  almost  instantly 
the  Indian  glanced  in  their  direction  again,  and, 
as  if  satisfied,  emptied  his  pipe  and  stretched 
out  on  his  blanket.  The  two  lads  breathed 
gighs  of  relief. 

"Did  he  see  us,  do  you  think,  Tad£ 
"No     At  first  he  thought  he  saw  something 
up  here,  but  he  changed  his  mind  after  a  little, 

as  you  observed." 

Bv  this  time  the  redskins  were  cooking  their 
midday  meal,  and  the  odor  nearly  drove  Stacy 
frantic  It  made  him  realize  how  hungry  he 
was  He  pulled  a  leaf  from  a  bush  and  began 
chewing  it  in  hopes  of  wearing  oil  the  keen  edge 
of  his  appetite. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  37 

"How  long  we  got  to  stay  here?"  he  de- 
manded. "I've  a  good  notion  to  get  up  and 
walk  back  to  camp.     They  don't  dare  hurt  us." 

"Lie  still!"  commanded  his  companion 
sternly.  "I  have  a  plan  that  we  may  be  able 
to  put  into  operation.  We  can't  do  it  now, 
though. ' ' 

The  lads  waited,  Tad  almost  with  the  patience 
of  an  Indian,  Chunky  ill  at  ease  and  restless. 

' '  Can 't  you  lie  still  f    What  ails  you  1 ' ' 

"My  stomach's  fighting  my  appetite.  Hear 
'em  growl  at  each  other  ? ' ' 

"S-h-h-h." 

"I  don't  care.  I'd  'bout  as  soon  be  scalped 
as  to  starve  to  death." 

The  braves  had  by  now  filled  their  stomachs, 
gulping  their  food  down  without  the  formality 
of  chewing  it  at  all.  Stacy's  amazement  was 
partly  mixed  with  admiration  as  he  observed 
the  food  disappear  with  such  rapidity. 

Now  the  braves  had  begun  puffing  at  their 
pipes.  After  a  time,  one  by  one  laid  down  his 
smoking  bowl  and  stretched  himself  out  for  a 
nap,  just  as  Tad  had  said  they  would.  The  sav- 
ages were  spread  out  so  that  they  had  a  very 
good  view  of  three  sides  of  the  rock  on  which 
the  two  lads  were  perched,  but  the  fourth  side 
was  hidden  from  them.  Tad  decided  that,  as  the 
Indians  showed  no  intention  of  moving,  they 


38  THE   PONY   RIDER   BOYS 

were  going  to  remain  where  they  were  until 
night. 

"I  want  yon  to  follow  me,  Chunky,"  Butler 
said,  determined  to  try  his  plan.  "You  will 
have  to  move  absolutely  without  a  sound.  Look 
before  you  put  down  foot  or  hand.  Be  sure 
where  you  place  them.  We'll  wait  a  few  min- 
utes until  they're  sound  asleep." 

"What  you  going  to  do — sneak?" 

"Try  to  get  back  to  camp.  The  others  will 
be  coming  along  looking  for  us  pretty  soon,  if 
we  don't  get  away.  The  Indians  might  resent 
being  disturbed,  and  perhaps  make  trouble." 

"Tell  me  when  you're  ready,  then." 

Some  minutes  had  elapsed  and  the  lads  could 
plainly  hear  the  snores  of  their  besiegers. 

"Now!"  whispered  Tad. 

At  the  same  time  he  began  crawling  toward 
the  edge  of  the  rock  at  their  rear.  Stacy  was 
close  upon  his  heels. 

The  side  which  the  boys  were  to  descend  was 
much  more  precipitous  than  the  one  they  had 
come  up  by,  but  offered  no  very  great  difficul- 
ties for  two  nimble  boys.  Proceeding  with  in- 
finite caution,  they  gained  the  ground  without  a 
mishap. 

"We'll  walk  straight  on  in  this  direction,  un- 
til we  get  out  of  sight;  then  we  can  turn  to  the 
left  and  hurry  to  the  camp." 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  39 

Stacy  nodded.  As  lie  did  so  his  eyes  were 
off  the  ground  for  a  few  seconds.  Those  few 
seconds  proved  his  undoing. 

The  lad  stepped  on  a  stone  that  gave  way 
under  him,  turning  his  ankle  almost  upon  its 
side. 

"Ouch!"  yelled  Chunky. 

"Now  you've  done  it,"  snapped  Tad.  "We'll 
have  the  whole  pack  of  them  down  on  us.  Can 
you  walk?" 

1  *  I— I  don 't  know.    I  HI  try. '  • 

"Take  hold  of  my  hand.  You've  got  to 
run. ' ' 

The  redskins  were  on  their  feet  in  an  instant. 
A  few  bounds  carried  them  around  the  rock 
whence  the  exclamation  had  come.  By  this  time 
Tad  had  dragged  his  companion  into  the  bushes 
but  not  quickly  enough  to  elude  the  keen  eyes 
of  the  savages. 

The  Indians  uttered  a  short,  sharp  cry,  then 
aimed  their  rifles  at  the  figures  of  the  two  flee- 
ing Pony  Rider  Boys. 

Tad  saw  the  movement.  He  threw  himself 
prone  upon  the  ground,  jerking  Chunky  down 
beside  him. 

They  were  screened  from  the  eyes  of  the 
enemy,  for  the  moment. 

* '  Crawl !     Crawl ! ' '  commanded  Tad. 

On  hands  and  feet  the  boys  began  running 


40  THE   PONY   EIDER  BOYS 

rapidly  over  the  ground,  on  down  into  a  narrow 
gulch.  If  they  could  gain  the  opposite  side  they 
would  be  safe,  as  it  was  unlikely  that  the  In- 
dians would  follow  them  there.  To  do  so,  the 
hoys  were  obliged  to  cross  an  open  space. 
They  had  just  reached  it,  when  their  pursuers 
appeared  behind  them.  Once  more  the  Indians 
raised  their  rifles,  their  fingers  exerting  a  gentle 
pressure  on  the  triggers. 


CHAPTER  IV 

ON"   THE   TEAIL   OP   JUAN 

««TT     OOK  out!     They're  going  to  shoot !" 
cried  Tad. 

The  lads  quickly  rolled  in  opposite 
directions. 

"Hallo-o,  Tad!"     ' 

The  call  was  in  the  stentorian  voice  of  Pro- 
fessor Zepplin,  to  which  Ned  Rector  added  a 
shout  of  his  own. 

Fearing  that  some  ill  had  befallen  Tad  and 
Stacy,  the  others  had  started  out  after  them. 
Following  them  came  Walter  and  the  lazy  Mexi- 
can. 

"We're  down  here!  Look  out  for  the  In- 
dians!" warned  Tad  in  a  loud  voice. 

"You're  crazy!"  jeered  Ned.    "Come  out  of 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  41 

that.  What  ails  you  fellows?  The  dinner's 
stone  cold  and  Professor  Zepplin  is  all  in  the 
stew." 

Tad  scrambled  to  his  feet,  with  a  quick  glance 
at  the  top  of  the  ridge,  where,  hut  a  moment 
before,  half  a  dozen  rifles  had  been  leveled  at 
Chunky:  and  himself. 

Not  an  Indian  was  in  sight.  Tad  was  amazed. 
He  could  not  understand  it.  Grabbing  Stacy 
by  an  arm  he  hurried  him  up  the  other  side  of 
the  gulch,  where  they  quickly  joined  their  com- 
panions. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  demanded  the  Pro- 
fessor. 

"Hurry!  We  must  get  out  of  this.  It's  In- 
dians ! ' ' 

"They — they  wanted  to  scalp  us,"  interjected 
Stacy. 

"But  you  runned  away,  eh?  Brave  man!" 
chuckled  Ned. 

"Indians!  There  are  no  Indians  here. 
Why " 

"I'll  tell  you  about  it  when  we  get  to  camp. 
They  were  just  about  to  shoot  at  us  when  you 
appeared  up  here." 

' '  'Pache  bad  Injun, ' '  vouchsafed  Juan. 

"Were  those  Apaches?"  questioned  Tad. 

The  guide  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"I  was  sure  they  were,  though  I  do  not  think 


42  THE   PONT  EIDER  BOYS 

I  ever  saw  an  Apache  before.  They  don't  live 
about  here,  do  they,  Juan?" 

"  'Pache  off  reservation.  Him  go  dance. 
Firewater!  Ugh!"  making  a  motion  as  if 
scalping  himself. 

"I'm  hungry,"  called  Stacy. 

"Yes;  so  am  I,"  added  Tad.  "But  I  think 
we  had  better  not  wait  to  eat.  We  can  take  a 
bite  in  the  saddle  while  we  are  moving." 

Stacy  protested  loudly  at  this,  but  Tad's 
judgment  prevailed  with  the  Professor,  after 
the  boys  had  related  their  experience  in  detail. 
All  hands  began  at  once  to  pack  up  the  few 
belongings  that  had  been  taken  from  the  burro, 
and  once  more  they  started  on  their  way,  mov- 
ing somewhat  more  rapidly  than  had  been  the 
case  in  the  early  part  of  the  day. 

"I  don't  suppose  there  will  be  much  use  in 
our  hurrying,  Professor,"  said  the  lad,  after 
they  had  been  going  a  short  time.  "I  know 
enough  about  Indians  to  be  sure  those  fellows 
will  follow  us  until  they  satisfy  themselves  who 
and  what  we  are.  They  are  up  to  some  mis- 
chief, and  they  thought  we  were  spying  on  them. 
Otherwise,  I  do  not  believe  they  would  have 
tried  to  shoot  us.  Don't  know  as  you  could 
blame  them  much." 

"I  am  inclined  to  agree  with  you,  Master 
Tad.    It  will  be  good  policy  not  to  pay  any  at- 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  43 

tention  to  them  if  we  discover  any  of  them, 
Just  go  right  along  about  our  business  as  if  wo 
didn't  see  them  at  all." 

"And  you're  not  likely  to,"  grinned  Tad. 
"Where  did  you  say  they  were  going,  Juan!" 

"  'Pache,  go  dance." 

"He  means  they're  bound  for  a  pow-wow 
somewhere.  That  explains  it,"  nodded  the 
lad. 

The  rest  of  the  day  passed  without  incident 
Not  a  sign  of  the  Indians  did  the  boys  see.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  the  roving  redskins  were  as 
anxious  to  keep  out  of  the  sight  of  the  Pony 
Biders  as  the  boys  were  to  have  them  do  so. 

The  party  enjoyed  the  trip  over  the  moun- 
tains immensely;  and,  when,  a  few  days  later, 
they  made  camp  in  the  foothills  on  the  southern 
fiide  of  the  Zuni  range,  the  boys  declared  that 
they  had  never  had  a  better  time. 

Professor  Zepplin  decided  that  they  would  re- 
main in  that  camp  for  a  couple  of  days,  as  he 
desired  to  make  some  scientific  investigations 
and  collect  geological  specimens.  This  suited 
the  rest  of  the  party,  who  were  free  to  make  as 
many  side  trips  as  they  wished,  into  mountain 
fastnesses  or  over  the  plains  to  the  south  of 
them. 

Early  in  the  day  the  guide  asked  permission 
to  go  away  for  an  hour  or  so.    They  noticed  that 


U  THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

lie  had  been  uneasy,  apparently  anxious  to  get 
away  for  some  reason  unknown  to  them. 

"He's  got  something  np  his  sleeve/'  decided 
Tad,  eyeing  Juan  narrowly. 

"You  may  go,  but  we  shall  expect  you  back 
in  time  for  the  noon  meal,"  the  Professor  told 

him. 
"Give  me  money,"  requested  the  guide. 
"Certainly.    Let  me  see,  you  have  worked  a 
week.    I  gave  you  five  dollars  when  we  started 
Qlit.    You  were  to  have  ten  dollars  a  week  while 
jrou  were  with  us.    That  leaves  five  dollars  due 
you,"  announced  the  Professor. 
"Me  work  week.    Me  want  ten  dollars." 
«*But,  my  man,  I've  already  paid  you  five  dol- 
lars, which  pays  you  for  half  of  the  week.  Here 
Is  the  five  dollars  for  the  other  half.    That's 
all  I  owe  you.    Do  you  understand?" 

"Si  senor.  But  Juan  work  one  week,"  pro- 
tested the  guide. 

"Let  me  show  him,"  interrupted  Tad.  He 
drew  ten  marks  in  the  sand  with  a  stick,  separ- 
ating them  into  two  groups  of  five.  "Here  are 
ten  marks,  Juan.  Well  call  them  ten  dollars. 
tJnderstand?" 

"Si." 

"Well,  here  are  the  first  five  marks  in  the  dirt 
fliat  the  Professor  paid  you.  How  many  does 
fhat  leave?" 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  45 

"Five,"  gleamed  the  white  teeth. 

"Eight.  Go  to  the  head  of  the  class,"  in- 
terrupted Stacy. 

"Chunky,  you  keep  out  of  this.  You'll  mix 
him  up." 

"Guess  somebody's  mixed  up  already,"  re- 
torted the  fat  boy. 

"Five  is  right,"  continued  Tad.  Five  dol- 
lars is  what  we  owe  you.    Is  that  clear  now?" 

"Si,  seSor.  But  I  work  one  week.  Juan 
earn  ten  dollar- -" 

"I'll  tell  you  what  to  do,"  interjected  Ned. 
"Start  all  over  again.  You  begin  work  to-day, 
Juan,  and  we'll  pay  you  ten  dollars  for  every 
week  from  now  on.  You  haven't  worked  for  us 
before  to-day,  you  know." 

The  lads  laughed  heartily,  but  Juan  merely 
showed  his  teeth,  protesting  that  he  had  earned 
ten  dollars. 

"Here,"  said  Tad,  thrusting  a  five  dollar  bill 
at  him.  "You  take  this.  It's  all  we  owe  you. 
If  you  see  any  of  your  friends,  you  ask  them 
how  much  we  owe  you.  They'll  tell  you  the 
Professor  is  right." 

Juan  took  the  money  greedily,  still  protesting 
that  they  owed  him  ten  dollars,  because  he  had 
worked  a  week.  Mounting  his  burro,  he  rode 
away,  at  once  falling  into  the  marvelous  speed 
that  he  had  shown  them  on  the  first  day  out. 


46  THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

The  lads  shouted  with  laughter  as  they  saw 
burro  and  rider  disappear  among  the  foothills, 
both  running  for  all  they  were  worth,  Juan  ut- 
tering his  shrill  "yi — yi's,"  as  he  pedaled  the 
ground. 

That  was  the  last  they  saw  of  the  Mexican 
guide  that  day.  The  rest  of  the  day  was  em- 
ployed in  games,  trick  riding,  rope  throwing 
and  the  like.  Stacy  found  some  horned  frogs, 
which  were  of  considerable  interest  to  the  boys. 
Chunky  made  the  discovery  that  the  frogs  liked 
to  have  their  backs  scratched  with  a  stick,  and 
the  frogs  of  the  foothills  probably  never  spent 
such  a  happy  day  in  all  their  lives  as  Chunky 
and  his  stick  provided  for  them  that  afternoon. 

Late  in  the  day,  it  dawned  upon  the  boys  that 
Juan  was  still  absent.  They  consulted  with  the 
Professor  about  this,  upon  his  return  from  a  col- 
lecting trip  along  the  foot  of  the  mountains. 
But  the  Professor  was  3ure  Juan  would  be  in 
in  time  for  supper. 

Such  was  not  the  case,  however.  After  the 
meal  had  been  finished  Tad  announced  his  in- 
dention of  riding  off  in  the.  direction  Juan  had 
gone,  to  see  if  the  guide  could  not  be  found. 

"I'll  go  with  you,"  announced  Stacy. 

"All  right;  come  along,"  said  Tad,  tighten- 
ing his  saddle  girths.  "We'll  have  a  fine  gal- 
lop." 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  47 

"Be  careful  that  you  do  not  get  lost,  boys," 
warned  the  Professor. 

"Can't  get  lost.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  fol- 
low the  foothills.  "We  shall  probably  find  Juan 
and  his  burro  sound  asleep  on  an  ant-hill  some- 
where. He's  positively  the  laziest  human  be- 
ing I  ever  set  eyes  on." 

"Better  take  along  five  dollars  to  bait  him 
with,"  suggested  Ned. 

"I've  got  my  stick,"  said  Stacy.  "I'll  tickle 
the  back  of  the  burro  and  its  rider,  just  as  I  did 
the  frogs." 

"You  try  that  on  the  burro  and  hell  kick  you 
into  the  middle  of  next  week,"  warned  Walter. 

"Yes,"  laughed  Tad.  "Did  you  see  him  kick 
when  Juan  tossed  a  tomato  can  against  his  heels 
this  morning!  Kicked  the  can  clear  over  a«tree 
and  out  of  sight." 

"He'd  make  a  good  batter  for  the  Chillicothe 
baseball  team,"  suggested  Chunky.  "He'd  be 
the  only  real  batter  in  the  nine.  They  could 
turn  him  loose  on  the  umpire  when  they  didn't 
need  him  on  the  diamond.  Wouldn't  it  be  funny 
to  see  some  umpires  kicked  over  the  high  board 
fence?" 

"Come  along  if  you  are  going  with  me." 

Stacy  swung  into  his  saddle,  and,  galloping 
off,  caught  up  with  Tad,  who  was  in  a  hurry 
to  get  back  to  camp  before  dark. 


48  THE   PONY  RIDEB   BOYS 

"Keep  your  eyes  to  the  right,  Chunky,  and 
I'll  look  on  the  left.  If  yon  see  anything  that 
looks  like  a  lazy  Mexican  and  a  lazy  bnrro,  just 
call  out." 

"I'll  run  over  them,  that's  what  I'll  do,"  de- 
clared the  fat  boy.  "Hello,  there's  a  fellow  on 
horseback." 

"I  see  him." 

The  lads  changed  their  course  a  little  so  as  to 
head  off  the  solitary  horseman,  who  was  loping 
along  in  something  of  a  hurry. 

"Howdy,"  greeted  the  lad. 

"Evening,  stranger*  Where  you  hail  from 
and  where  to?" 

"We're  in  camp  back  here.  I'm  looking  for 
our  guide,  a  Mexican  named  Juan.  He  went 
away  this  morning  and  we  haven't  seen  him 
since. ' ' 

"And  you  won't  so  long  as  his  money  holds 
out,"  laughed  the  horseman. 

"Then,  you've  seen  him?  Will  you  tell  me 
where  I  may  rind  him  ? ' ' 

"Sure  thing,  boy,  but  I  reckon  you'd  better 
not  be  going  any  further?" 

"Why  not?" 

"He's  over  yonder,  gambling  with  some  rene- 
gade Apaches." 

"Apaches!"  exclaimed  the  lads  in  one  voice. 
"Those  must  be  the  same  fellows  we  saw  up  in 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  49 

the  range.  But  how  do  yon  suppose  he  knew 
they  were  over  there?" 

"He?  Those  Greasers  know  everything  ex- 
cept what  they  ought  to  know — especially  if 
there's  any  games  of  chance  going  on." 

"Will  you  please  tell  me  how  we  can  reach 
the  place!  We  want  to  make  a  very  early  start 
in  the  morning,  and  I  don  Jt  like  to  take  a  chance 
of  his  not  getting  back  in  time." 

"If  ye 're  bound  to  go,  keep  right  along  tlte 
edge  of  the  foothills.  You  can't  miss  the  place. 
Better  keep  away  if  you  don't  want  to  be  gejk- 
ting  into  a  mix-up.  There's  going  to  be  lively 
doings  over  there  pretty  soon,"  warned  tfl* 
stranger. 

"How  do  you  mean?  IVe  seen  Indians  lb©- 
fore.  Guess  they  won't  hurt  us  if  they  let  Juan 
pow-wow  with  them." 

' '  This  is  different,  young  man.  They  're  going 
to  hold  a  fire  dance  to-night " 

"Afire  dance?" 

"Yes." 

"I  thought  they  weren't  allowed  to  do  that 
any  more?" 

"They  ain't,  but  they  will.  There's  a  bunch 
of  Sabobas  from  over  the  line.  They're  the 
original  fire  eaters.  They  come  over  here  kind 
of  secret  like.  Then  there  'e  Pueblos,  'Paches, 
and  bad  ones  from  every  tribe  within  a  hun- 


SO  THE  PONY  EIDEE  BOYS 

flred  miles  of  here.  Been  making  smoke  signals 
from  the  mountains  for  more'n  a  week 
past " 

"I  saw  that  yesterday  and  thought  it  was 
Intended  as  a  signal." 

"Bight." 

**But  yon  don't  think  there  will  be  any  danger 
In  just  going  after  our  guide,  do  you f " ' 

"Boy,  they'll  be  letting  blood  before  morn- 
ing, even  if  the  Government  doesn't  drop  down 
on  the  picnic  and  clean  out  the  whole  bunch  of 
them.  There  is  sure  to  be  trouble  before  morn- 
tog." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Tad,  touching  his  pony. 

a Going  on?"  questioned  the  horseman. 

"Yes;  I'm  going  to  fetch  Juan,"  replied  Tad, 
touching  spurs  to  his  pony  and  galloping  away, 
followed  by  Stacy  Brown. 

The  horseman  sat  his  saddle  watching  the  re- 
ceding forms  of  the  two  Pony  Rider  Boys  until 
they  disappeared  behind  a  butte  in  the  foothills. 

"Well,  if  those  kids  ain't  got  the  sand!"  he 
muttered. 


IN   NEW  MEXICO  51 

CHAPTER  V 

A  DARING  ACT 

MTF  you  don't  want  to  go  with  me  yon  may 

I  go  back,  Chunky.  Perhaps  one  would 
not  be  as  likely  to  get  into  trouble  as 
two.    You  can  find  your  way,  can't  you?" 

"I  go  back?  Think  I'm  a  tenderfoot?  Huh! 
Guess  I  ain't  afraid  of  any  cheap  Wild  West 
Indians.    I'm  going  with  you,  Tad." 

"Very  well;  but  see  to  it  that  you  keep  in 
the  background.  You  have  a  habit  of  getting 
into  trouble  on  the  slightest  provocation. ' ' 

"So  do  you,"  retorted  Stacy. 

The  ponies  had  been  urged  to  their  best  pace 
by  this  time.  Twilight  had  fallen  and  darkness 
would  settle  over  them  in  a  very  short  time 
now,  though  a  new  moon  hovered  pale  and  weak 
in  the  blue  sky  above.  Tad  knew  this,  so  he 
did  not  worry  about  the  return  trip. 

"We  should  be  sighting  the  place  pretty 
soon,"  he  muttered. 

"I  see  a  light,"  announced  Stacy. 

"Where?" 

"To  the  right.    Over  that  low  butte  there." 

"Yes;  that's  so.  I  see  it  now.  You  have 
•^rp  eyes,"  laughed  Tad. 


52  THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

"I  can  see  when  there's  anything  to  see." 

"And  eat  when  there's  food  to  be  had,"  ad- 
ded Tad. 

"Think  those  are  the  Indians  that  wanted  to 
shoot  ns,  Tad?"  he  asked,  with  a  trace  of  ap- 
prehension in  his  voice. 

Tad  glanced  at  his  companion  keenly. 

"Getting  cold  feet,  Chunky?" 

"No!"  roared  the  fat  boy. 

"  I  beg  yonr  pardon, ' '  grinned  Tad.  ' '  I  didn  't 
mean  to  insult  yon." 

"Better  not.  Look  out  that  you  don't  get. 
chilblains  on  your  own  feet.  May  need  a  hot 
mustard  bath  yourself  before  you  get  through." 

They  rounded  the  butte.  A  full  quarter  of  a 
mile  ahead  of  them  flickered  a  large  fire,  with 
several  smaller  blazes  twinkling  here  and  there 
about  it.  Shadowy  figures  were  observed  mov- 
ing back  and  forth,  some  with  rapid  movements, 
others  in  slow,  methodical  steps. 

"There  must  be  a  lot  of  them,  Tad." 

"Looks  that  way.    I  wonder  where  we  shall  I 
find  the  guide." 

Both  boys  fell  silent  for  a  time,  and  as  they 
drew  nearer  to  the  scene  pulled  their  ponies 
down  to  a  walk.  Tad  concluded  to  make  a 
detour  half  way  round  the  camp  in  order  to  get 
a  clump  of  bushes  that  he  had  observed  be- 
tween them  and  the  redskins.    From  that  point 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  53 

of  vantage  lie  would  be  able  to  get  a  closer 
view,  and  perhaps  locate  the  man  for  whom  he 
was  looking. 

Biding  in,  they  were  soon  swallowed  up  in 
the  shadows. 

''Hold  my  pony  a  moment,' '  directed  Tad, 
slipping  to  the  ground. 

"  Where  are  you  going! " 

"Nowhere,  just  this  minute.  I'm  going  to 
look  around." 

The  lad  peered  through  the  bushes  until,  ut- 
tering a  low  exclamation,  he  turned  to  his  com- 
panion. 

"I  see  him.   He's  over  on  the  other  side " 

"Who!    Juan?" 

"Yes.  Now  I  want  you  to  remain  right  here. 
Don't  move  away.  I'll  tie  my  pony  so  he  won't 
give  you  any  trouble.  Sit  perfectly  quiet,  and 
if  any  Indians  come  along  don't  bother  them. 
I'm  going  around  the  outside,  so  I  don't  have 
to  pass  through  the  crowd,  though  they  seem 
too  busy  to  notice  anyone." 

Tad  slipped  away  in  the  shadows  until  he 
came  to  a  spot  opposite  where  he  had  caught 
a  glimpse  of  the  lazy  Mexican. 

He  discovered  Juan  in  the  center  of  a  circle 
of  dusky  Indians  who  were  squatting  on  the 
ground.  Some  of  the  braves  were  clothed  in 
nondescript   garments,   while   others  were   at- 


54  THE   PONY   RIDER   BOYS 

tired  in  gaudy  blankets.  These  were  the  gamb- 
lers. 

At  that  moment  their  efforts  were  concen- 
trated on  winning  from  Jnan  the  wages  of  his 
first  week's  work  with  the  Pony  Rider  Boys. 
A  blanket  had  been  spread  over  the  ground,  and 
on  this  they  were  wagering  small  amounts  on 
the  throw  of  the  dice,  a  flickering  camp-fire 
near  by  dimly  lighting  up  the  blanket  and  mak- 
ing the  reading  of  the  dice  a  difficult  matter  for 
any  but  the  keenest  of  eyes.  The  sing-song  calls 
of  the  players  added  to  the  weirdness  of  the 
scene. 

Tad  waited  long  enough  to  observe  that  the 
guide  lost  nearly  every  time,  the  stolid-faced 
red  men  raking  in  his  coins  with  painful 
regularity. 

' '  It 's  a  wonder  he  has  a  cent  left.  But  they're 
not  playing  for  very  large  amounts,  as  near  as 
I  can  tell." 

Each  time  the  Mexican  lost  he  would  utter 
a  shrill  "si,  si,"  then  lured  by  the  hope  that 
Dame  Fortune  would  favor  him,  reached  greed- 
ily for  the  next  throw. 

"It's  time  for  me  to  do  something,"  mut- 
tered Tad. 

Stepping  boldly  from  his  cover,  he  walked 
Tip  to  the  edge  of  the  circle. 

"Juan!"  he  called  sharply. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  55 

"Si,"  answered  the  Mexican,  without  looking 
up. 

"Juan!" 

This  time  the  word  was  uttered  in  a  more 
commanding  voice. 

"You  come  with  me!" 

The  guide,  oblivious  to  all  beyond  the  ter- 
rible fascination  of  the  game  he  was  playing, 
gave  no  heed  to  Tad  Butler's  stern  command. 
Three  times  did  Tad  call  to  him,  but  without 
result.  One  of  the  red  men  cast  an  angry  glance 
in  the  lad's  direction,  and  then  returned  to  his 
play. 

Without  an  instant's  hesitation,  Tad  sprang 
over  into  the  center  of  the  circle,  and  grasping 
Juan  by  an  ear,  jerked  him  to  his  feet. 

Red  hands  fell  to  belts  and  dark  faces  scowled 
menacingly  at  the  intruder. 

"You  come  with  me,  Juan!" 

Juan  sought  to  jerk  away,  but  under  the 
strong  pull  on  his  ear,  he  did  not  find  it  advis- 
able to  force  himself  from  his  captor's  grip. 

"You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself. 
You're  lucky  if  Professor  Zepplin  doesn't  give 
you  another  dose  of  hot  drops  for  this.  I  sup- 
pose these  Indians  sat  down  to  rob  you," 
growled  Tad. 

"No,  no,  no,"  protested  Juan. 

By  this  time  the  Indian  gamblers  had  leaped 


56  THE  PONY  EIDER   BOYS 

to  tlieir  feet,  an  ugly  light  in  their  eyes  that 
boded  ill  for  the  Pony  Eider  Boy  who  had  inter- 
rupted them  in  the  process  of  fleecing  the 
Mexican. 

"With  one  accord  they  barred  the  way  in  a 
solid  human  wall.  Tad  found  himself  hemmed 
in  on  all  sides.  It  had  been  easy  to  gain  an 
entrance  to  the  circle,  but  getting  out  of  it  was 
another  matter. 

"This  man  belongs  to  me,"  he  said  with  as 
much  courage  in  his  tone  as  he  was  able  to 
command.  "You  will  please  step  aside  and  let 
us  go.  You're  breaking  the  law.  If  you  offer 
any  resistance  I'll  have  the  Government  officers 
after  you  in  short  order. ' ' 

He  could  not  have  said  a  worse  thing  under 
the  circumstances.  At  first  they  took  him  for 
a  spy,  possibly  a  Government  spy.  Now  they 
were  sure  of  it,  for  had  not  the  lad  told  them 
so  himself? 

With  a  growl,  one  who  appeared  to  be  the 
most  important  personage  in  the  group  drew 
his  sheath  knife  and  sprang  straight  at  the  slen- 
der figure  of  Tad  Butler. 

Tad  acted  without  an  instant  *s  hesitation. 

Stepping  aside  quickly,  he  cleverly  avoided 
the  knife-thrust.  At  the  same  instant,  while  the 
Indian  was  off  his  balance,  not  yet  having  re- 
covered from  the  lunge,  the  Pony  Eider  Boy's 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  57 

fist  and  the  Indian's  jaw  met  in  sudden  col 
lision. 

The  impact  of  the  blow  might  have  been  heard 
more  than  a  rod  away. 

The  red  man's  blanket  dropped  from  his 
shoulders;  he  staggered  backward,  made  a  su- 
preme effort  to  pull  himself  together,  then 
dropped  in  a  heap  at  the  feet  of  the  boy  who  had 
felled  him. 

Without  waiting  for  the  astonished  red 
gamblers  to  recover  their  wits,  Tad  grasped  an 
arm  of  the  Mexican  and  sprang  away  into  the 
bushes. 

He  had  done  a  serious  thing,  even  though  in 
self-protection.  He  had  knocked  down  an 
Apache  brave  with  his  fist.  The  sting  of  that 
blow  would  rest  upon  the  savage  jaw  until  the 
insult  was  wiped  out  by  the  victim  himself. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  FIRE  DANCE   OP   THE  RED   MEN 

THE  Indians  made  a  sudden  move  to  pursue 
the  lad  who  had  done  so  daring  a  thing. 
One  of  their  number  re-strained  them, 
pointing  to  the  fallen  brave,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"Revenge  is  for  him!" 
With  a  shrug  of  their  shoulders  the  Indians 


58  THE   PONY, EIDER   BOYS 

sank  down  and  resumed  their  game  as  stoically 
as  before.  They  gave  no  further  heed  to  the 
unconscious  Apache,  who  still  lay  just  outside 
the  circle  where  he  had  been  knocked  out  by 
Tad's  blow. 

M Hurry!  Hurry!"  commanded  the  lad,  fairly 
dragging  his  companion  along.  "They'll  be 
after  us  in  a  minute." 

Yet  before  the  minute  had  elapsed  Tad  had 
halted  suddenly,  his  wondering  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  scene  that  was  being  enacted  before  him. 

About  a  pit  of  red  hot  coals,  naked  save  for 
the  breech  clouts  they  wore,  swayed  the  bodies 
of  half-a-dozen  powerful  braves. 

They  were  the  fire  dancers  and  Tad  was  gaz- 
ing upon  a  scene  that  probably  never  will  be 
seen  again  in  this  country — the  last  of  the  fire 
dances — a  secret  dance  of  which  it  was  to  be 
supposed  the  Government  agents  knew  nothing. 

Back  and  forth  waved  the  copper-colored  line, 
right  up  to  the  edge  of  the  pit  of  glowing  coals, 
uttering  a  weird  chant,  which  was  taken  up  by 
others  who  were  not  in  the  dance. 

The  voices  of  the  chanters  grew  louder,  their 
excitement  waxed  higher,  as  the  thrill  of  song 
and  dance  pulsed  through  their  veins. 

All  at  once,  Tad  was  horrified  to  see  one  of 
the  dancers  leap  into  the  air,  uttering  a  mighty 
shriek.     While  still  clear  of  the  ground  the 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  59 

dancer's  body  turned,  then  he  dove  head  first 
into  the  bed  of  hot  coals.  He  was  out  in  an 
instant. 

The  chant  rose  higher  as  the  remaining 
dancers  followed  the  leader  into  the  burning  pit 
and  out  of  it.  So  quickly  did  they  move  that 
they  seemed  not  to  feel  the  heat,  and  from  Tad's 
point  of  vantage,  he  was  sure  that  none  was 
burned  in  the  slightest. 

Juan  tried  to  pull  away.  But  Tad  held  him 
in  a  firm  grip. 

Now  that  the  dancers  had  passed  through  the 
fire  unscathed,  others  followed  them,  some  no 
more  than  touching  the  live  coals,  then  bound- 
ing out  on  the  other  side  of  the  pit;  others  re- 
maining long  enough  to  roll  swiftly  across  the 
glowing  bed. 

Excitement  was  rapidly  waxing  higher  and 
higher.  The  red  men  were  in  a  dangerous  mood. 
It  boded  ill  for  the  paleface  who  sought  to 
interfere  with  their  carnival  at  this  moment. 

"Come!"  whispered  Tad  in  a  low,  tense  voice. 
"We've  got  to  get  out  of  this  mighty  quick! 
Chunky 's  probably  half  scarced  to  death,  too." 

Tad  did  not  go  far.  He  had  scarcely  taken 
half  a  dozen  steps  when  a  frenzied  yell,  a  series 
of  shrill  shrieks  sounded  in  the  air.  The  sounds 
seemed  to  come  from  all  directions  at  once. 

"What's  that?" 


60  THE   PONY  BIDEB  BOYS 

"Me  not  know.*' 

"Somebody's  running  a  pony.  I  hear  it  com- 
ing. It's  headed  right  for  that  bunch  of  crazy 
savages.    Probably  an  Indian  gone  mad." 

It  was  not  an  Indian  who  was  the  cause  of 
this  new  disturbance,  as  the  lad  discovered 
almost  immediately  afterward. 

"Yip,  yip!    Y-e-o-w!    W-o-w!" 

The  yells  were  uttered  in  the  shrill  voice  of 
Stacy  Brown. 

"It's  Chunky!"  groaned  Tad.  "Here's 
trouble  in  earnest!" 

They  never  knew  just  how  it  happened,  and' 
Chunky  could  not  tell  them,  but  in  all  prob- 
ability the  excitement  had  been  too  much  for 
the  fat  boy. 

He  had  moved  closer  when  the  dancing  began, 
and  the  fever  of  it  got  into  his  veins  until  his 
excitement  had  reached  a  pitch  beyond  his  con- 

trol. 

With  a  series  of  howls  and  yells,  the  fat  boy 
drove  the  rowels  of  the  spurs  deep  into  his  pony's 

sides. 
The  animal  dashed  forward  at  a  break-neck 

pace. 

Stacy  headed  straight  for  the  glowing  pit,, 
yelling  with  every  leap  of  the  pony. 

Tad  gazed  spellbound.  He  seemed  powerless 
to  move.    He  had  been  deeply  affected  by  the 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  61 

scenes  he  had  seen;  but  this  was  different.    The 
lad  held  his  breath. 

Beaching  the  edge  of  the  pit,  Stacy's  pony 
rose  in  the  air,  clearing  the  bed  of  coals  in  a 
long,  curving  leap. 

Two  red  men  had  just  risen  from  their  fiery 
bath.  The  hind  hoofs  of  the  pony  caught  and 
bowled  them  over. 

"Run  to  the  camp  and  get  help!  Take  my 
pony!  Eide  for  your  life!  Don't  lose  a  second !" 
gasped  Tad,  giving  the  lazy  Mexican  a  shove 
that  sent  him  stumbling  until  he  bad  measured 
his  length  upon  the  ground. 

Juan  picked  himself  up  slowly;  and,  crawling 
away  into  the  bushes,  lay  down  to  rest— or 
hide. 

Stacy's  pony  landed  fairly  in  the  center  of 
a  bunch  of  ha  If -clothed  savages,  some  of  whom 
went  down  under  the  pony  when  it  landed  on 
them  so  unexpectedly. 

The  next  instant  the  fat  boy  had  been  jerked 
from  the  animal's  back,  to  which  he  was  cling- 
ing desperately. 

With  a  yell  the  redskins  hurled  him  toward 
the  fire.  But  the  force  of  the  throw  had  not 
been  quite  strong  enough.  Stacy  landed  on  the 
edge  of  the  pit,  rolling  half  into  it,  the  upper 
part  of  his  body  being  on  the  ground  to  which 
fee  was  hanging,  yelling  lustily.    His  shod  feet 


62  THE   PONY   RIDER  BOYS 

were  in  the  fire,  however,  but  as  yet  he  did  not 
realize  that  his  clothes  were  burning. 

Tad  Butler  sprang  quickly  from  his  hiding 

place. 

< 'Crawl  out!"  he  roared.    " You '11  be  burned 

alive!" 
«I__I  can't.    I  fell  in,"  piped  Stacy,  all  his 

bravery  gone  now. 

Tad  leaped  across  the  intervening  space  and 
bounded  to  the  side  of  his  companion. 

"Ouch!    I'm  on  fire!"  shrieked  Stacy. 

Tad  grabbed  and  hauled  him  from  his  dan- 
gerous position.  One  of  Tad's  feet  slipped  in 
while  he  was  doing  so.  By  this  time  the  clothes 
of  both  lads  had  begun  to  smoulder. 

"Run  for  it!  Better  be  burned  than 
scalped!"  shouted  Tad. 

Holding  to  Chunky 's  arm  the  Pony  Rider  Boy 
started  to  run.  He  was  tripped  by  a  moccasined 
foot  before  they  had  gone  ten  feet.  Both  boys 
fell  headlong.  Ere  they  could  rise  half  a  dozen 
mad  savages  were  upon  them. 

The  lads  were  jerked  roughly  to  their  feet, 
Chunky  shivering,  Tad  pale  but  resolute.  There 
was  nothing  that  he  could  say  or  do  to  repair 
the  damage  that  his  companion  had  done. 

One  whom  the  lad  took  to  be  a  chief,  from  his 
liead-dress  and  commanding  appearance,  pushed 
Ws  way  into  the  crowd  about  the  two  boys, 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  63 

hurling  the  red  men  aside  with  reckless  sweeps 
of  his  powerful  arms. 

"Ugh!"  he  grunted,  folding  his  arms  and 
gazing  sternly  at  the  two  prisoners. 

"Who  you?" 

Tad  explained  as  best  he  could. 

"Why  you  do  this?" 

"My  friend  here  got  excited,"  Tad  declared,. 

"Huh!    Lie!" 

Tad's  face  burned.  He  could  searcely  resist 
the  impulse  to  resent  the  imputation  that  the 
savage  had  cast  upon  him.  He  conquered  the 
inclination  with  an  effort. 

"Sir,  we  had  no  wish  to  interfere  with  you. 
We  came  here  to  get  one  of  onr  men  who  had 
come  here  to  gamble.  If  you  will  release  us 
we  will  return  to  our  camp  and  give  you  no 
further  trouble.    I  promise  you  that." 

"T-h-h-h-at's  so,"  chattered  Chunky. 

"Keep  still,"  whispered  Tad.  "You'll  get 
us  into  more  trouble." 

The  chief  appeared  to  be  debating  the  ques- 
tion in  his  own  mind,  when  one  of  the  men, 
whom  Tad  recognized  as  a  member  of  the 
gambling  circle,  whispered  something  to  the 
chief. 

The  chief's  eyes  blazed.  Uttering  a  succes- 
sion of  gutteral  sounds,  he  gave  some  quick  di- 
rections to  the  red  men  near  him. 


64  THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

"He  makes  a  noise  like  a  litter  of  pigs,"  mut- 
tered Chunky. 

Acting  upon  the  chief's  direction  two  braves 
grabbed  the  lads,  and  hurried  them  away,  Tad 
meanwhile  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  break 
away.  Had  he  been  alone,  he  felt  sure  he  could 
do  so  safely.  But  he  would  not  leave  his  com- 
panion, of  course. 

The  Apaches  took  the  boys  a  short  distance 
from  the  camp,  planked  them  down  roughly 
with  their  backs  to  a  rock. 

"Now,  I  wonder  what  next?"  muttered  Tad. 

While  one  of  the  braves  stood  guard  over 
them,  the  second  trotted  back  to  the  camp,  re- 
turning after  a  few  minutes  with  a  third  savage 
who  carried  a  rifle. 

The  boys  were  sure  then  that  they  were  to  be 
shot. 

"Huh!  You  run,  brave  shoot  urn!"  warned 
one  of  the  first  pair,  after  which  parting  injunc- 
tion the  two  captors  strode  away,  leaving  their 
companion  to  guard  the  boys. 

For  a  few  moments  the  Indian  walked  up  and 
down  in  front  of  them,  keeping  his  eyes  fixed 
on  the  lads.  Tad  noted  that  he  walked  rather 
unsteadily.  Finally,  the  guard  sat  down  fac- 
ing them,  some  ten  feet  away. 

"Well,  youVe  certainly  gone  and  done  it 
this  time,  Chunky,"  said  Tad  in  a  low  voice*. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  63 

•'"What  on  earth  made  you  do  a  crazy  thing  like 
that?" 

"I— I  don't  know." 

"Well,  it's  too  late  for  regrets.  All  we  can 
do  will  be  to  make  the  best  of  our  situation  and 
watch  for  an  opportunity  to  get  away." 

For  several  minutes  the  boys  sat  gazing  at 
the  stolid  figure  before  them.  Tad's  mind  was 
working,  though  his  body  was  not. 

"Make  believe  you're  going  to  sleep,  but 
don 't  overdo  it, ' '  whispered  Tad. 

This  was  something  that  Stacy  could  do,  and 
he  did  it  with  such  naturalness  that  Tad  could 
not  repress  a  smile. 

"That  Indian  is  dazed  from  his  excitement, 
and  if  we  make  him  think  we're  asleep  he's 
likely  to  relax  his  vigilance,"  mused  Tad,  as 
the  two  boys  gradually  leaned  closer  together, 
soon  to  all  appearances  being  wrapped  in  sleep. 
Little  by  little  the  Indian's  head  nodded. 

Finally  he  toppled  over  to  one  side,  the  rifle 
lying  across  his  feet. 

Tad  and  Chunky  remained  motionless. 

The  Indian  snored. 

The  boys  waited.  Soon  the  snores  became 
regular.    The  moment  for  action  had  arrived. 

Tad  pinched  Chunky. 

"Huh!    Wat 'cher  wanf# 

The  fat  boy  had  in  reality  been  ask&g* 


m  THE   PONY  EIDER   BOYS 

"For  goodness  sake,  keep  quiet!"  begged 
Tad  in  a  whisper.  " Don't  yon  know  there's  an 
Indian  with  a  gun  guarding  us?  He's  asleep. 
Come,  but  be  quiet  if  you  value  your  life  at  all. 
Anyway,  remember  that  I  want  to  save  mine." 

Stacy  was  wide  awake  now.  Together  the 
lads  crawled  cautiously  away,  every  nerve  on 
the  alert.  Over  by  the  pit  of  live  coals  the  up- 
roar was,  if  anything,  louder  than  before. 

The  boys  gave  that  part  of  the  camp  a  wide 
berth. 

"Now  get  up  and  run!"  commanded  Tad. 
"Raise  your  feet  off  the  ground,  so  that  you 
won't  fall  over  every  pebble  you  come  to." 

Tad  and  Chunky  clasped  hands  and  scurried 
through  the  bushes,  making  as  little  noise  as 
possible,  and  rapidly  putting  considerable  dis- 
tance between  them  and  the  sleeping  red  man 
who  had  been  set  to  watch  them. 

"Having  lots  of  fun,  ain't  we,  Tad?" 

"Fun?  You're  lucky  if  you  get  off  with  a 
whole  scalp " 

"Wow!"  exclaimed  Stacy. 

The  lads  brought  up  suddenly. 

At  first  they  were  not  sure  what  had  disturbed 
them,  that  is,  Tad  was  not.  This  time  Stacy  had 
seen  more  clearly  than  his  companion. 

"Ugh!"  grunted  a  voice  right  in  front  of 
fhem,  and  there  before  their  amazed  eyes  stood 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  67 

an  Indian.  To  their  imaginations,  he  was  mag- 
nified until  he  appeared  nearly  as  tall  as  the 
moonlit  mountains  in  the  background. 

For  one  hesitating  instant  the  lads  stood  star- 
ing at  the  figure  looming  over  them. 

With  an  angry  growl  the  red  man  bounded 
toward  them.  He  had  recognized  the  boys  and 
was  determined  that  they  should  not  escape 
him. 

It  was  Stacy  Brown's  wits  that  saved  the  situ- 
ation this  time.  As  the  Indian  came  at  them  the 
fat  boy  dived  between  the  savage's  naked  legs, 
uttering  a  short,  sharp  yelp,  for  all  the  world 
just  like  that  of  a  small  dog  attempting  to 
frighten  off  a  bigger  antagonist. 

There  could  be  only  one  result  following 
Chunky 's  unexpected  tactics.  Mr.  Redskin  flat- 
tened himself  on  the  ground  prone  upon  his 
face.  Somehow  the  fellow  was  slightly  stunned 
by  the  fall,  not  having  had  time  to  save  himself 
from  a  violent  bump  on  the  head. 

"Run  for  it,  Chunky!  He'll  be  after  us  in  a 
second. ' ' 

The  lads  made  a  lively  sprint  for  the  open. 
In  a  moment,  observing  that  they  were  not  being 
followed,  they  halted,  still  in  the  shadows  of 
the  bushes.  All  at  once  Tad  stumbled  over  an 
object  in  the  dark.  At  first  he  thought  it  was 
another  Indian,  and  both  boys  were  about  to 


68  THE   PONT  RIDER   BOYS 

run  again,  when  the  voice  of  the  prostrate  man 
caused  them  to  laugh  instead. 

"Si,  si,  sefior,"  muttered  the  fellow. 

*  *  Juan  I    It 's  Juan !    Get  up !    You  here  yet !  " 

They  pulled  the  lazy  guide  to  his  feet,  start- 
ing off  with  him,  when  all  at  once  Tad  happened 
to  think  that  one  of  the  ponies  was  back  there 
somewhere  among  the  Indians. 

"You  stay  here,  and  don't  make  a  fool  of 
yourself  this  time!"  commanded  Tad. 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"After  your  pony.  You  hang  on  to  Juan. 
I'll  hold  you  responsible  for  him,  Chunky." 

"Guess  I  can  take  care  of  a  lazy  Mexican  if 
I  can  floor  a  redskin,"  answered  Stacy  proudly. 

But  Tad  was  off.  He  had  not  heard  the  last 
remark  of  his  companion.  In  picking  his  way 
carefully  around  the  camp  to  where  he  had  seen 
a  lot  of  ponies  tethered,  Tad  found  a  Navajo 
blanket.  He  quickly  possessed  himself  of  it, 
throwing  it  over  his  head,  wrapping  himself  in 
its  folds. 

He  was  now  in  plain  sight  of  the  wild  antics 
of  the  dancers,  who,  still  mad  with  the  excite- 
ment of  the  hour,  were  performing  all  manner 
of  weird  movements.  For  a  moment,  the  lad 
squatted  down  to  watch  them.  He  had  been 
there  but  a  short  time  when  a  voice  at  his  side 
startled  him,  and  Tad  was  about  to  take  a  fresh 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  69 

sprint  when  lie  realized  that  it  was  not  the  voice 
of  a  savage. 

"Young  man,  you'd  better  light  out  of  here 
while  you've  got  the  chance,"  said  the  stranger. 

Turning  sharply,  Tad  discovered  a  man,  who, 
like  himself,  was  wrapped  in  a  gaudy  blanket. 
He  was  unable  to  see  the  man's  face,  which  was 
hidden  under  the  Navajo. 

"Who  are  you?"  demanded  the  lad  sharply. 

"I'm  an  Indian  agent.  I  only  got  wind  of 
this  proposed  fire  dance  late  this  afternoon. 
These  men  will  all  be  punished  unless  they  re- 
turn to  their  reservations  peaceably.  If  they 
do,  they  will  be  let  go  with  a  warning." 

"Do  they  know  you're  here?" 

"They?    Not  much,"  laughed  the  agent. 

"But  supposing  they  ask  you  a  question?" 

"I  can  talk  all  the  different  tribal  languages 
represented  here.  You'd  better  go  now.  Where 
are  you  from?" 

Tad  explained  briefly. 

"Well,  you  have  had  a  narrow  escape  to- 
night. If  they  catch  you  again  they'll  make 
short  work  of  you." 

"They  won't  catch  me.  Thank  you  and 
good-bye. ' ' 

"Don't  go  that  way.  Strike  straight  back; 
then  you  will  have  an  open  course." 

"I'm  going  after  my  companion's  pony.     I 


70  THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

think  I  know  where  to  find  it,"  answered  Tad, 
wrapping  the  blanket  about  himself  and  steal- 
ing across  an  open  moonlit  space  without  at- 
tracting attention. 

The  Indian  agent  watched  him  curiously  for 
a  moment ;  then  he  'rose  and  followed  quickly 
after  Tad. 

"That  boy  is  either  a  fool — which  I  don't 
think — or  else  he  doesn't  know  the  meaning  of 
the  word  'fear.'  " 

Tad  did  not  find  Stacy's  pony  where  he  had 
expected.  Indian  ponies  were  tethered  all 
about,  singly  and  in  groups,  while  here  and 
there  one  was  left  to  graze  where  it  would. 

"What  sort  of  a  looking  pony  is  yours?" 
questioned  the  agent,  coming  up  to  him. 

"A  roan." 

"Then  I  think  I  know  where  he  is.  He  was 
not  like  the  horses  in  this  vicinity,  which  at- 
tracted my  attention  to  him." 

The  agent  led  the  way,  in  a  roundabout  course, 
to  the  south  side  of  the  camp,  where  they  be- 
gan looking  over  the  animals.  Occasionally  a 
redskin  would  pass  them,  but  no  one  gave  either 
.the  slightest  heed. 

"Here  he  is,"  whispered  Tad." 

"Lead  him  off.    Don't  mount  just  yet." 

Tad  did  as  the  agent  had  suggested.  But  all 
at  once  something  happened.     Tad's  blanket 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  U 

had  dropped  from  his  shoulders,  revealing  him 
in  his  true  colors.  An  Indian  uttered  a  yell.  Tad 
sprang  into  his  saddle  and  put  spurs  to  the  ponye 
In  a  moment  more  than  a  dozen  redskins  had 
mounted  and  started  yelling  after  him,  believ- 
ing he  was  stealing  a  pony. 

Tad  headed  away  to  the  south  to  give  his  com- 
panions a  chance  to  get  out  of  the  way,  and  the 
savages  came  in  full  cry  after  him. 


CHAPTER  VXI 

FLEEING  FROM  THE  ENEMY 

ASHEILL  cry  was  wafted  to  the  hoy. 
After  a  few  moments  Tad  realized 
that  they  were  no  longer  on  his  trail. 
He  knew  the  cry  had  been  a  signal,  warning 
them  to  halt.  What  he  did  not  know,  however, 
was  that  the  Indian  agent  had  been  responsi- 
ble for  the  signal ;  that  he  in  all  probability  had 
saved  the  boy's  life. 

The  lad,  after  satisfying  himself  that  the  In- 
dians had  abandoned  the  chase,  at  once  circled 
about,  coming  back  to  the  point  where  he  had 
left  Chunky  and  the  Mexican.  They  were  both 
there  waiting  for  him. 

"What  was  all  that  row?"  demanded  the  fat 
boyc 


72  THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

"We  were  having  a  little  horse  race,  that's 
all,"  grinned  Tad  grimly.  "Hurry  alongf 
now." 

They  reached  their  own  camp  in  safety  an 
hour  later.  The  two  hoys  had  much  to  relate, 
and  as  the  narration  proceeded,  Professor  Zepp- 
lin  shook  his  head  disapprovingly. 

"Young  gentlemen,  much  as  I  have  enjoyed 
this  summer's  outing,  it's  a  wonder  I  haven't 
had  nervous  prostration  long  before  this.  It'll 
be  a  load  off  my  mind  if  I  get  you  all  back  in 
Chillicothe  without  anything  serious  happening 
to  you." 

"I  think,"  suggested  Tad,  "that  we  had  bet- 
ter strike  camp  at  once  and  move  on.  The  moon 
is  shining  brightly,  and  Juan  ought  to  have  no 
trouble  in  leading  the  way." 

"Yes;  that  will  be  an  excellent  idea.  Yon 
think  they  may  give  bs  further  trouble?"  ques- 
tioned the  Professor. 

"They  may  before  morning.  They're  get- 
ting more  ugly  every  minute." 

"Everything  worth  while  seems  to  happen 
when  I  am  not  around,"  protested  Ned. 

"Good  thing  you  weren't  along,"  replied 
Stacy.  "You'd  been  scared  stiff.  It  was  no 
place  for  tend  erf  eet." 

"You — you  call  me  a  tenderfoot!"  snapped 
Ned,  starting  for  him. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  U 

"Stop  quarreling,  you  two!"  commanded 
Tad.  "We've  had  all  the  fighting  we  want  for 
one  night.  Get  busy  and  help  strike  this  camp. 
Guess  none  of  this  outfit  could  truthfully  be 
called  a  tenderfoot.  We've  all  had  our  share  of 
hard  knocks,  and  we  '11  have  enough  to  look  back 
to  and  think  about  when  we  get  home  and  have 
time  to  g$  over  our  experiences  together  this 
winter.' ' 

The  thought,  that  at  any  minute  the  half- 
crazed  savages  might  sweep  down  on  them  has- 
tened the  preparations  for  departure.  The  Pony 
Eider  Boys  never  struck  camp  more  quickly 
than  they  did  in  the  soft  southern  moonlight 
that  night. 

All  at  once  Juan  set  up  a  wail. 

"What  is  it — what's  the  trouble  now?"  de- 
manded Tad. 

"My  burro.    I  go  for  him." 

"You'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort.  Ton  11  walk, 
or  ride  a  pack  animal,/'  answered  Stacy.  "You 
don't  deserve  to  have  a  burro." 

"Here's  his  old  burro  now,"  called  Walter, 
as  a  shambling  object,  much  the  worse  for  wear, 
came  stumbling  sleepily  into  camp. 

The  boys  set  up  a  shout  that  was  quickly 
checked  by  Tad. 

"If  the  burro  can  find  the  way  what  do  you 
think  an  Indian  conld  do,  fellows?" 


U  THE   PONT  EIDER  BOYS 

"That's  right,' '  agreed  Professor  Zepplin. 
"We  had  better  keep  quiet " 

"And  hit  the  trail  as  fast  as  possible,"  added 
Tad.  "Daylight  must  find  us  a  long  ways  from 
here." 

"And  ride  all  night — is  that  what  you  mean?" 
complained  Stacy. 

"Yes;  it'll  give  you  an  appetite  for  break- 
fast." 

"I've  got  one  already." 

"That  goes  without  saying,"  agreed  Ned. 

"Come,  come,  Juan!"  urged  Tad,  observing 
that  the  guide  was  doing  nothing  more  in  the 
way  of  work  than  rubbing  the  nose  of  his  prodi- 
gal burro.    "Aren't  you  going  to  help  us?" 

"Yes;  what  do  you  think  we're  paying  you 
good  American  dollars  for?" 'demanded  Ned. 

"I  think  some  of  the  Professor's  hot  drops 
would  be  good  for  what  ails  him,"  observed 
Stacy  Brown.  "I'll  get  the  Professor  to  give 
him  a  dose  right  now." 

"No,  no,  no!    Juan  no  want  fire  drops." 

"All  right;  get  busy,  then." 

He  did.  Not  since  the  last  dose  of  the  Pro- 
fessor's medicine  had  he  shown  such  activity. 
Very  soon  after  that  the  camp  had  been  struck 
and  the  party  was  ready  to  take  up  its  journey. 

Tad  took  a  last  look  about,  to  make  sure  that 
nothing  had  been  left. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  75 

"I  think  I'll  put  out  the  fire,"  he  said,  tossing 
the  bridle  reins  to  Stacy,  while  he  ran  over  fb 
the  dying  camp-fire,  whose  embers  he  kicked 
apart,  stamping  them  out  one  by  one.  "No  us$ 
leaving  a  trail  like  that  for  any  prowling  red- 
skin." 

They  were  quickly  under  way  after  that,  J«ai» 
leading  the  way  without  the  least  hesitancy.  He 
and  the  burro  worked  together  like  a  piece  oJ 
automatic  machinery. 

"He  might  better  walk  and  lead  the  burro," 
said  Stacy,  who  had  been  observing  their*  peetfc 
liar  method  of  locomotion.  "Should  think  if 
would  be  easier." 

The  moon  was  dropping  slowly  westward* 
and  the  party  was  using  it  for  a  guide,  keeping 
the  silver  ball  sharply  to  their  right.  Juan 
on  the  other  hand  had  hitched  his  lazy  chariot 
.to  a  star. 

By  this  star  he  was  laying  his  course  to  the 
southward.  The  Pony  Rider  Boys  enjoyed 
their  moonlight  trip  immensely,  and  a  gently 
breeze  from  the  desert  drifting  over  them  re- 
lieved the  scorching  heat  of  the  late  afternooB 
and  early  evening. 

"Guess  the  Indians  are  not  going  to  bothej 
us,"  said  "Walter,  riding  up  to  Tad  just  before 
daylight. 

"Probably  not.    They  will  be  in  too  mudi 


76  THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

trouble  with  the  Government,  after  last  night's 
performances,  to  give  much  thought  to  chasing 
us.  And  besides,  I  don't  see  why  they  should 
wish  to  do  so.  Had  they  been  very  anxious  to 
be  revenged  on  us,  most  likely  they  would  not 
have  allowed  us  to  get  away  as  they  did." 

"Was  it  very  terrible,  Tad?"  asked  Walter 
Perkins. 

"What,  the  dance,  or  what  happened  after- 
wards?" laughed  the  lad. 

"Both!" 

aWell,  I'm  free  to  confess  that  neither  was 
exactly  pleasant.  When  they  caught  Chunky  I 
thought  it  was  all  up  with  us.  Hello.  There's 
Mr.  Daylight" 

Glancing  to  the  left  the  boys  saw  the  sky 
turning  to  gray.  A  buzzard  screamed  overhead, 
laying  its  course  for  the  mountains  where  it 
was  journeying  in  search  of  food. 

"What's  thatf"  demanded  Stacy,  awakening 
from  a  doze  in  Ms  saddle. 

"Friend  of  yours  with  an  appetite,"  grinned 
Ned. 

"I  thought  it  sounded  like  breakfast  call," 
muttered  Stacy,  relapsing  into  sleep  again,  his 
head  drooping  forward  until,  a  few  minutes 
later,  he  was  lying  over  the  saddle  pommel  with 
Arms  thrown  loosely  about  the  pony's  neck. 

Ned,  observing  the  lad's  position,  suddenly 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  77 

conceived  a  mischievous  plan.  Unnoticed  hf 
the  others,  he  permitted  his  own  pony  to  fall 
back  until  he  was  a  short  distance  behind  Stacy. 
The  others  were  a  little  way  ahead. 

Ned  rode  slowly  alongside  his  companion,  as 
he  passed,  bringing  the  rowel  of  his  spur 
sharply  against  the  withers  of  Chunky 's  mount. 

The  effect  was  instantaneous. 

The  fat  boy's  mount,  itself  half  asleep,  sud- 
denly humped  its  back,  and  with  bunching  feet 
leaped  clear  of  the  ground* 

" Hello,  what's  the  matter  back  there?"  called 
Ned,  who  by  this  time  was  a  full  rod  in  advance 
of  his  companion. 

Stacy  did  not  answer.  He  was  at  that  mo- 
ment turning  an  undignified  somersault  in  the 
air,  his  pony  standing  meekly,  awaiting  the  next 
act  in  the  little  drama. 

The  fat  boy  landed  on  the  plain  in  a  heap. 
\  "Are  you  hurt,  Chunky?"  cried  Tad  anxi- 
ously, slipping  from  his  saddle  and  running  to 
iiis  companion. 

"I— Idunno.    I— I  fell  off,  didnt  I?" 

"You're  off,  at  least,"  grinned  Ned.  "What 
was  the  matter?" 

"I — I  dunno;  do  you?" 

"How  should  I  know?  If  you  will  go  to  sleep 
on  a  bucking  broncho,  you  must  expect  things 
to  happen." 


m  THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

Stacy,  by  this  time,  had  scrambled  to  his  feet; 
after  which,  he  began  a  careful  inventory  of 
himself  to  make  snre  that  he  was  all  there.  He 
grinned  sheepishly. 

Satisfying  himself  on  this  point,  Stacy 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  walked  over  to  his 
pony  with  a  suggestion  of  a  limp. 

"Now  that  we  have  halted  we  might  as  well 
make  camp  for  a  few  hours,  get  breakfast  and 
take  a  nap,?*  suggested  the  Professor. 

The  boys  welcomed  this  proposition  grate- 
fully, for  the}?-  were  beginning  to  feel  the  effects 
of  their  long  night  ride,  added  to  which,  two  of 
them  had  had  a  series  of  trying  experiences  be- 
fore starting  out. 

In  the  meantime,  Stacy  Brown  had  been  ex- 
amining his  pony  with  more  than  usual  care. 

Tad  observed  his  action,  and  wondered  at  it 
A  moment  later,  the  fat  boy  having  moved 
away,  Tad  thought  he  would  take  a  look  at  the 
animal.  He  was  curious  to  know  what  Stacy 
had  in  mind. 

"So  that's  it,  is  it!"  muttered  Tad. 

He  found  the  mark  of  a  spur  on  the  pony's 
withers.  While  it  had  not  punctured  the  skin, 
the  spur  had  raked  the  coat,  showing  that  the 
rowel  had  been  applied  with  considerable  force. 

Tad,  with  a  covert  glance  about,  saw  Ned  Rec- 
tor watching  him. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  79 

"You're  the  guilty  one,  eh?"  he  demanded, 
walking  up  to  Ned. 

"S-h-h-h,"  cautioned  Ned.  "He'll  be  red- 
headed if  he  knows  I  am  to  blame  for  his  coming 
a  cropper." 

"  Chunky 's  not  so  slow  as  you  might  think 
But  that  wasn't  a  nice  thing  to  do.  It's  all 
right  to  play  tricks,  but  I  hope  you  won't  be  so 
cruel  as  to  use  a  spur  on  a  dumb  animal,  the  way 
you  did,  even  if  he  is  an  ill-tempered  bronchc 
You  might  have  broken  Chunky 's  neck,  too." 

Ned's  face  flushed. 

"It  was  a  mean  trick,  111  admit.  Didn't 
strike  me  so  at  the  time.  Shall  I  ask  Chunky  *s 
pardon"?" 

"Do  as  you  think  best.  I  should,  were  I  in 
your  place." 

"Then,  I  will  after  breakfast." 

Ned  got  busy  at  once,  assisting  to  cook  the 
morning  meal,  while  Juan  led  the  ponies  out  to 
a  patch  of  grass  and  staked  them  down.  While 
the  Pony  Eider  cook  was  thus  engaged,  he  felt 
a  tug  at  his  coat  sleeve. 

Turning  sharply,  Ned  found  Stacy  at  his 
side.  Stacy's  face  was  flushed  and  his  eyes  were 
snapping. 

"What  is  it,  Chunky?" 

"Come  over  here,  I  want  to  talk  with  you." 

They  stepped  off  a  few  paces  out  of  hearing 


80  THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

of  the  others,  Tad  smiling  to  himself  as  he  ob- 
served Stacy's  act 

"Well,  what's  the  matter,  Chunky?" 

"I  can  lick  you,  Ned  Rector!" 

"Wha— what?" 

"Said  I  could  lick  you.  Didn't  say  I  was  go- 
ing to,  understand.    Just  said  I  could " 

"Like  to  see  you  try  it." 

"All  right;  it's  a  go." 

Ere  Ned  could  recover  from  his  surprise, 
Stacy  Brown  had  launched  himself  upon  his 
companion.  One  of  Stacy's  arms  went  about 
Ned's  neck,  one  foot  kicked  a  leg  from  under 
Ned,  and  the  two  lads  went  down  in  the  dust 
together. 

It  had  happened  in  a  twinkling. 

"Here,  here!  What's  going  on  over  there?'* 
shouted  the  Professor,  starting  on  a  run,  while 
the  other  lads  were  laughing. 

Chunky  was  sitting  on  the  chest  of  his  fallen 
adversary,  Ned  struggling  desperately  to  throw 
the  lad  off. 

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"  crowed  Chunky,  in  im- 
itation of  a  rooster,  flapping  his  hands  on  his 
thighs,  in  great  good  humor  with  himself. 

Professor  Zepplin  grabbed  him  by  the  collar, 
jerking  Stacy  Brown  from  the  fallen  Pony  Rider 
Boy. 

Ned  scrambled  to  his  feet,  and,  with  a  sheep- 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  81 

ish  grin  on  his  face,  proceeded  to  brash  the  dust 
from,  his  clothes. 

"Downed  you,  did  he?"  questioned  Tad. 

"It  wasn't  fair.  I  didn't  know  lie  was  going 
to  try." 

"Neither  did  the  Russians  when  the  Japs 
sailed  into  them  at  Port  Arthur, ' '  laughed  Wal- 
ter.   "And  they  got  what  was  coming  to  them.** 

"So  did  I.  Chunky,  I  deserve  more  than  you 
gave  me.  If  you  want  to,  beat  m@  up  some 
more." 

"Now,  isn't  that  sweet  of  him?"  chortled 
Stacy.  "I  fell  off  my  pony,  then  I  fell  on  you, 
and  we'll  call  it  quits,  eh,  Ned?" 

Ned  put  out  a  hand,  which  Stacf  grasped  with 
mock  enthusiasm. 

"We  sure  will." 

"I'd  like  to  know  what  this  k  all  abontf" 
questioned  Walter.  "Something's  bee*  going 
on." 

"I  made  his  pony  throw  him  over,5"  admitted 
Ned. 

Stacy  nodded  with  emphasis. 

"He  found  it  out  and  jumped  on  me." 

"I'll  turn  you  both  over  my  knee  ££  you  try 
to  repeat  these  performances,"  warned  the  Pro- 
fessor. 

Linking  arms,  Stacy  and  Ned  started  for  tBfe 
breakfast  table,  humming, 


82  THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

"For  he's  a  jolly  good  fellow, 9f 

and  a  moment  later  all  four  of  the  lads  were 
standing  about  the  breakfast  table,  singing  the 
Chorus  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 

CHAPTER  Vm 

ASLEEP  ON  THE  SLEEPY  GRASS 

THE  slanting  rays  of  the  sun  got  into  the 
eyes  of  the  Pony  Rider  Boys.  Four 
arms  were  thrown  over  as  many  pairs 
of  eyes  to  shut  out  the  blinding  light. 

"Ho-ho-hum!"  yawned  Chunky. 

Cocking  an  impish  eye  at  his  companions,  he 
observed  that  each  had  fallen  into  a  deep  sleep 
again. 

The  fat  boy  cautiously  gathered  up  a  handful 
of  dry  sand  and  hurled  it  into  the  air.  A  shower 
of  it  sprinkled  over  them,  into  their  eyes  and 
half-opened  mouths. 

Three  pairs  of  eyes  were  opened,  then  closed 
again. 

Encouraged  by  his  success,  Stacy  chuckled 
softly  to  himself,  then  dumped  another  handful 
of  sand  over  his  companions. 

But  he  was  not  prepared  for  what  followed. 

Three  muscular  boys  hurled  themselves  upoik 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  83 

him.  Instantly  the  peaceful  scene  was  changed 
into  a  pandemonium  of  yells.  Down  came  the 
tent  poles,  the  canvas  rising  and  falling  as  if 
imbued  with  sudden  life. 

Professor  Zeppliin,  startled  by  the  racket, 
roused  himself  and  sprang  from  his  own  tent. 
Observing  the  erratic  actions  of  the  tent  in  which 
the  boys  had  been  sleeping,  he  instantly  con- 
cluded that  something  serious  had  happened. 

"Boys!  boys!"  he  cried,  running  to  the  spot, 
frantically  hauling  away  the  canvas.  "What 
has  happened!    What  has  happened?" 

They  were  too  busy  to  answer  him.  When 
finally  he  had  uncovered  what  lay  below,  he 
found  his  charges  literally  tied  up  in  a  knot, 
rolling  and  tumbling,  with  Stacy  Brown  lying 
flat  on  his  back,  each  of  his  three  companions 
vigorously  rubbing  handfuls  of  sand  over  his 
face,  down  his  neck  and  in  the  hair  of  his  head. 

"I  think  I'll  take  a  hand  in  this  myself," 
smiled  the  Professor.  He  ran  to  his  tent,  re- 
turning quickly.  In  his  hands  he  carried  two 
pails  of  water. 

Unluckily  for  the  boys,  they  had  failed  to 
observe  what  he  was  doing.  Nor  did  they  un- 
derstand that  they  were  in  danger  until  the  con- 
tents of  the  two  pails  had  been  dashed  over 
them. 

There  were  yells  in  earnest  this  time.    The, 


84  THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

water  turned  the  dirt  into  mud  at  once,  and  their 
faces  were  "sights."  Stacy's  face  had  been 
protected,  in  a  measure,  by  the  other  boys  who 
were  bending  over  him  rubbing  in  the  sand. 

The  unexpected  bath  put  a  sudden  end  to  their 
sport,  and  they  staggered  out  shouting  for  ven- 
geance. They  did  not  even  know  who  had  been 
the  cause  of  their  undoing. 

The  Professor,  as  he  walked  away  smiling, 
iiad  handed  the  pails  to  the  grinning  Juan  witM 
instructions  to  refill  them. 

The  unfortunate  Juan,  bearing  the  pails  away, 
was  the  first  person  to  catch  the  eyes  of  the  lads, 
as  they  rubbed  the  sticky  mud  out  of  them. 

With  a  howl  they  projected,  themselves  upon 
him.  Juan's  grin  changed  instantly  to  an  ex- 
pression of  great  concern.  He  went  down  under 
their  charge,  with  f©ur  boys,  instead  of  three, 
on  top  of  him. 

"Duck  him!"  shouted  some  one. 

"Yes!  Souse  him  in  the  spring!"  chorused! 
the  boys. 

Juan  cried  out  for  the  Professor,  but  his  ap- 
peals were  in  vain. 

Shouting  in  high  glee  the  lads  bore  him  to 
the  spring  from  which  they  got  their  water. 
They  plumped  him  in,  not  any  too  gently,  again 
and  again. 

"Now  roll  him  in  the  sand,"  suggested  Ned 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  85 

They  did  so. 

The  wet  clothing  and  body  made  the  sand 
stick  to  him  until  the  lazy  Mexican  was  scarcely 
recognizable. 

At  this  point  Professor  Zepplin  took  a  hand. 
He  came  bounding  to  the  scene  and  began 
throwing  the  boys  roughly  from  their  unhappy 
victim.  Perhaps  he  was  not  greatly  disturbed 
over  the  shaking  up  the  guide  had  sustained,  but 
of  course  he  confided  nothing  of  this  to  the  boys. 

"You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourselves — 
for  four  of  you  to  pitch  on  to  one  weak  Mexican ! 
I'm  surprised,  young  gentlemen.'* 

"But — but — he  ducked  us,"  protested  Ned. 

"He  did  nothing  of  the  sort." 

"What — didn't  duck  us?  Guess  I  know 
water  when  I  feel  it,"  objected  Walter. 

"You  were  ducked,  all  right,  but  it  is  I,  not 
Juan,  who  am  responsible  for  that." 

"You?"  questioned  the  lads  all  at  once. 

The  Professor  nodded,  a  broad  grin  on  his 
face. 

"But  he  had  the  pails." 

"I  gave  them  to  him,  after  pouring  the  water 
over  you.  That's  what  is  known  as  circum- 
stantial evidence,  young  gentlemen.  Let  it  be 
a  lesson  to  you  to  be  careful  how  you  convict 
anyone  on  that  kind  of  evidence." 

"Fellows,"  glowed  Chunky,  "we've  made  s 


66  THE  PONY  KIDER  BOYS 

mistake.  Let*g  make  it  right  by  ducking  the 
Professor.*' 

The  boys  looked  over  Professor  Zepplin  crit- 
ically. 

"I  guess  we'd  better  defer  that  job  till  we 
grow  some  more,"  they  decided,  with  a  laugh. 

The  next  fifteen  minutes  were  fully  occupied 
in  cleaning  up  and  putting  on  their  clothes. 
They  were  all  thoroughly  awake  now,  with 
cheeks  flushed  and  eyes  sparkling  after  their 
violent  exercise.  The  guide  had  rather  sullenly 
washed  off  the  wet  dust  that  clung  to  his  face 
and  hands. 

" Never  mind  the  clothes,  Juan,"  advised  Ned. 
"It  11  brush  off  as  soon  as  it  gets  dry.  We'll 
take  up  a  contribution  to  buy  you  a  clothes 
brush.    Ever  see  one?" 

Juan  grinned. 

"You  promise  not  to  gamble  the  money  away 
if  we  give  it  to  you!" 

"Si." 

"Shell  out,  fellows.  Ten  cents  apiece.  That 
ought  to  salve  his  injured  feelings." 

Ned  passed  the  hat,  all  contributing. 

"That  makes  forty  cents.  Here,  Professor* 
you  haven't  put  in  your  ten  yet.  It'll  take  just 
fifty  cents  to  paste  up  Juan's  injuries." 

"That  reminds  me  of  a  fellow  I  heard  about 
once,"  announced  Stacy. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  87 

"Are  yon  going  to  tell  a  story?"  questioned 
Ned. 

"If  yon  will  keep  still  long  enough,"  replied 
Stacy. 

"Then  me  for  the  bnnch  grass.  It's  like  go- 
ing to  a  funeral  to  hear  Chunky  try  to  tell  a 
story. ' ' 

"Let  him  tell  it,"  shouted  the  lads. 

"Go  on,  Chunky.  Never  mind  Ned.  He'll 
laugh  when  he  gets  hack  to  Chillicothe, "  jibed 
Walter. 

"I  heard  of  a  fellow  once " 

"Yes;  you  told  us  that  before,"  jeered  Ned. 

"Not  the  one  we  ducked  in  the  spring,  was 
it?"  grinned  Tad. 

"Who's  telling  this  story?"  demanded  Stacy 
belligerently. 

"You  are,  I  guess.    I  won't  interrupt  again." 

"Well,  did  I  say  this  fellow  was  a  boy?" 

"No." 

"Well,  he  was — he's  grown  up  now.  He 
rushed  into  a  drug  store " 

"Was  anything  chasing  him?"  asked  Ned  in* 
nocently. 

Stacy  gave  no  heed  to  the  interruption. 

"And  he  said  to  the  man  in  the  store* 
'Please,  sir,  some  liniment  and  some  cement!'  " 

"  'What?'  asked  the  clerk  all  in  a  muddle. 
You  see,  he'd  never  had  a  prescription  like  that 


88  THE  PONT  EIDER  BOYS 

to  fill  before.  It  made  him  tired,  'cause  he 
thought  the  kid  was  making  fun  of  him." 

"  'What — what's  the  trouble?  What  do  you 
want  liniment  and  cement  for?' 

"  'Cause,'  said  the  boy  to  the  pill  man, 
'  'cause  mom  hit  pop  on  the  head  with  a  plate.'  " 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence,  then  the  boys 
roared.    But  Ned  never  smiled. 

"Laugh,  laugh!  Why  don't  you  laugh?" 
urged  Walter. 

"Laugh?  Huh!  I  laughed  myself  almost 
sick  over  that  a  long  time  ago.  Read  it  in  an 
almanac  when  I  was  in  short  trousers." 

1 '  The  ponies !  The  ponies ! ' '  cried  Juan,  rush- 
ing up  to  them,  waving  his  arms,  then  running 
his  fingers  through  his  long  black  hair  until  it 
stood  up  like  the  quills  of  a  porcupine. 

'What!"  cried  the  Pony  Rider  Boys  in  sud- 
den alarm.  "What's  the  matter  with  the  pon- 
ies?" 

Juan  pointed  to  the  place  where  the  stock 
had  been  tethered  after  they  arrived  at  the 
camp. 

There  was  not  am  animal  to  be  seen  anywhere 
on  the  plain. 

"Gone !"  gasped  the  lads,  with  sinking  hearts. 

"No,  no,  no.     There!"  stammered  the  guide. 

With  one  accord  the  boys  ran  at  top  speed  to 
the  spot  indicated  by  Juan. 


IN   NEW  MEXICO  89 

There,  stretched  out  in  the  long  grass  lay 
bronchos  and  burros. 

"They're  dead,  the  ponies  are  dead,  every  one 
of  them!"  cried  the  lads  aghast 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   MIDNIGHT   ALAKM 

«IT7HAT'S  this,  what's  this?"  demanded 

V/V       the  Professor,  striding  up. 

"Look!     Look!     The  ponies  are 
dead ! ' '  exclaimed  Ned  excitedly. 

"What  do  you  suppose  could  have  happened 
to  them?"  stammered  Walter. 

"Is  it  possible?  What's  the  meaning  of  this, 
guide?" 

Juan  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  showed  his 
white  teeth. 

In  the  meantime  Tad  had  hurried  to  his  own 
pony,  and  was  down  on  his  knees  examining  it. 
Placing  his  hands  on  the  animal's  side,  he  re- 
mained in  that  position  for  an  instant,  then 
sprang  up. 

* '  They  're  not  dead,  fellows !    They  're  alive ! '  * 

"Asleep,"  grumbled  Ned  disgustedly. 

"But  there's  something  the  matter  with  them. 
Something  has  happened  to  the  stock,"  added 
Tad. 


90  THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS' 

"Only  a  false  alarm,"  nodded  Stacy. 

"Think  so?  Try  to  wake  your  pony  up,"  ad- 
vised Tad. 

Stacy  had  already  hurried  to  his  own  broncho, 
and  now  began  tugging  at  the  bridle  rein,  with 
sundry  pokes  in  the  animal  's  ribs. 

"I  can't.  He's  in  a  trance,"  wailed  Stacy, 
considerably  startled. 

That  expression  came  nearer  to  describing  the 
condition  of  the  stock  than  any  other  words 
could  have  done. 

"Guide,  what  do  you  know  about  this?"  ques- 
tioned the  Professor.  "Has  some  one  been 
tampering  with  our  animals?" 

Juan  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  an  air  of 
indifference. 

' { No  bother  bronchs. ' ' 

"Then  will  you  please  tell  us  what  is  the  mat- 
ter with  them?" 

"Sleepy  grass!" 

"Sleepy  grass?"  chorused  the  lads. 

"Of  course  they're  asleep  all  right,"  added 
Ned.     "But  whoever  heard  of  sleepy  grass?" 

"He  means  they're  sleeping  on  the  grass," 
Stacy  informed  them. 

"Ah!  I  begin  to  understand,"  nodded  the 
Professor.  '  •  I  think  I  know  what  the  trouble  is 
now.    The  guide  is  no  doubt  right." 

The  boys  gathered  around  him,  all  curiosity* 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  91 

"Tell  us  about  it,  Professor.  We  are  very 
much  mystified  f ' '  said  the  Pony  Riders. 

"A  long  time  ago  I  remember  to  have  read, 
somewhere,  of  a  certain  grass  in  this  region  that 
possessed  peculiar  narcotic  properties " 

"What's  narcotic1?"  interrupted  Stacy. 

"Something  that  makes  you  go  to  sleep  when 
you  can't,"  explained  Tad  Butler,  rather  am- 
biguously. 

"When  eaten  by  horses  or  cattle  it  is  said  to 
put  them  into  deep  sleep.  The  Rockefeller  In- 
stitute, I  believe,  is  already  making  an  analyti- 
cal test  of  the  grass." 

"Please  talk  so  I  can  understand  it,"  begged 
Stacy. 

"Yes;  those  words  make  my  head  ache," 
scowled  Ned.  "Even  the  guide  is  making  up 
faces  in  his  effort  to  understand." 

"He  does  understand.  He  understands  only 
too  well.  For  many  years  this  grass  has  been 
known.  Cows  turned  out  for  the  day  would  fail 
to  return  at  night " 

"To  be  milked,"  interjected  Stacy. 

"And  an  investigation  would  disclose  them 
sleeping  in  some  region,  where  the  sleepy  grass 
grew " 

And  the  fat  boy  hummed : 

"Down  where  the  sleepy  grass  is  growing." 


92  THE  PONY  RIDEE  BOYS 

"Travelers  who  have  tied  out  their  horses 
in  patches  of  the  grass  for  the  night  have  been 
unable  to  continue  their  journey  until  the  ani- 
mals recovered  from  their  strange  sleep.  Thus 
the  properties  of  the  grass  became  known," 

"Indians  use  'em  to  tame  bad  bronchos," 
the  guide  informed  them. 

"Just  so." 

"But,  when  will  they  wake  up?"  questioned 
Tad. 

"Mebby  sun-up  to-morrow,"  answered  Juan, 
glancing  up  at  the  sky. 

"What,  sleep  twenty-four  hours?"  demanded 
Ned. 

"Si." 

"Preposterous." 

"Then,  then,  we've  got  to  remain  here  all  the 
rest  of  the  afternoon  and  night — -is  that  it?" 
demanded  Tad. 

"It  looks  that  way." 

"And  you  knew  about  this  stuff,  Juan?" 
questioned  Tad. 

"Si." 

"Well,  you're  a  nice  sort  of  a  guide,  I  must 
say." 

"You  ought  to  be  put  off  the  reservation," 
threatened  Stacy,  shaking  a  menacing  fist  in 
front  of  the  white  teeth. 

In  the  meantime,  Tad  had  gone  over  to  the 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  93 

animals  again,  and,  taking  them  in  turn,  sought 
to  stir  them  up.  He  found  he  could  not  do  so. 
The  ponies'  heads  would  drop  to  the  ground 
after  he  had  lifted  and  let  go  of  them,  just  as  if 
the  animals  were  dead. 

"Gives  you  a  creepy  feeling,  doesn't  it?" 
shivered  Walter. 

"I  should  say  it  does,"  answered  Ned. 

"Well,  what  is  it,  Chunky?"  asked  Tad,  who 
observed  that  Stacy  had  something  on  his  mind 
that  he  was  trying  to  formulate  into  words. 

"I've  got  an  idea,  fellows,"  he  exploded. 

"Hold  on  to  it,  then.  You  may  never  get 
another,"  jeered  Ned. 

"What  is  it,  Master  Stacy!"  asked  the  Pro- 
fessor. 

"Then — then — then — that's  what  Juan  and 
his  burro  have  been  eating  all  the  time.  I  knew 
there  was  something  the  matter  with  them." 

A  loud  laugh  greeted  the  fat  boy's  suggestion. 

"Guess  he's  about  right,  at  that,"  grinned 
Tad. 

"A  brilliant  thought,"  agreed  the  Professor. 
"Boys,  I  must  have  some  of  that  grass.  I  shall 
make  some  experiments  with  it." 

"Experiment  on  Chunky,"  they  shouted. 

"No;  he  sleeps  quite  well  enough  as  it  is," 
smiled  the  Professor. 

"I  want  some  of  it  too — no,  not  to  eat,"  cor- 


94  THE   PONY   EIDER   BOYS 

reeled  the  fat  boy.  "1*11  feed  it  to  my  atratlS 
cat  when  I  get  back;  then  he  won't  be  running 
away  from  home  every  night.' ' 

"Better  unload  the  rest  of  the  equipment, 
boys,"  advised  the  Professor.  "If  we  must  re- 
main here  all  night  we  might  as  well  make  the 
best  of  it." 

"Without  their  ponies,  the  lads  spent  rather  a 
restless  afternoon.  They  had  not  fully  realized 
before  how  much  a  part  of  them  their  horses 
bad  become  until  they  were  suddenly  deprived 
of  them. 

In  the  meantime,  the  bronchos  slept  on  undis- 
turbed. 

'I've  got  another  idea,"  shouted  Stacy. 

"Keep  it  to  yourself,"  growled  Ned.  "Your 
ideas,  like  your  jokes,  graduated  a  long  time 
ago." 

"Is  there  sleepy  grass  in  the  Catskill  Moun- 
tains?" persisted  Stacy. 

"We  don't  know,  and  we  don't " 

"I  know  there  is,  and  that's  what  put  Rip  Van 
"Winkle  to  sleep  for  twenty  years,"  shouted  the 
fat  boy  in  high  glee.  "See,  I  know  more 
than—" 

"Yes;  you're  the  original  boy  wonder.  "We'll 
take  that  for  granted,"  nodded  Ned  Rector. 

Tad,  however,  was  not  inclined  to  look  upon 
their  enforced  delay  with  anything  like  amuse- 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  95 

ment.  To  him  it  had  its  serious  side.  He  had 
not  forgotten  that  they  had  been  fleeing  from 
the  Indians.  When  he  got  an  opportunity  to  do 
so,  without  his  companions  overhearing,  he  ap- 
proached the  Professor. 

"I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  for  us  to 
have  a  guard  over  our  camp  to-night." 

"On  account  of !•" 

"Yes." 

"Very  well;  I  think  myself  that  it  would  be 
a  prudent  move.    Have  Juan  sit  up,  then." 

"No,  he's  a  sleepy  head.  Suppose  we  boys 
take  turns  V1 

"Very  well;  arrange  it  to  suit  yourselves.  I 
presume  we  ought  to  do  something  of  the  sort 
every  night.  It  might  have  saved  us  some 
trouble  on  our  Ozark  journey  had  we  been  that 
prudent.  Arrange  it  to  suit  you.  I'll  take  my 
turn " 

"No;  we  can  do  it,  Professor.  You  go  to  bed 
as  usual.  We'll  draw  lots  to  see  who  takes  the 
different  watches.  With  the  four  of  us  we'll 
have  to  take  only  two  hours  apiece.  That  won't 
be  bad  at  all." 

The  other  boys,  after  the  plan  had  been  ex- 
plained to  them,  entered  into  it  enthusiastically. 
Walter  was  to  take  the  first  trick,  Ned  the  next, 
Chunky  the  third  and  Tad  the  fourth. 

And  they  were  to  take  their  guns  out  with 


96  THE   PONY   RIDER  BOYS 

them.  The  Professor  agreed  to  this,  now  that 
they  had  become  more  familiar  with  firearms. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  all  the  boys  had  developed 
into  excellent  marksmen,  though  Tad  was  recog- 
nized as  the  best  shot  of  the  party. 

Professor  Zepplin,  during  the  afternoon,  gave 
each  of  them  a  lesson  in  revolver  shooting,  using 
for  the  purpose,  his  heavy  army  revolver.  They 
did  pretty  well  with  this  weapon,  but,  of  course, 
were  not  nearly  as  expert  with  it  as  with  the 
rifle. 

Evening  came  and  the  stock  was  still  sleeping 
soundly.  There  was  nothing  the  boys  could  do 
but  let  them  sleep,  though  the  fact  of  all  the 
ponies  and  burros  lying  about  as  if  dead  began 
to  make  the  Pony  Eiders  nervous.  Night  came, 
and  with  it  semi-darkness,  the  moon  being  over- 
cast with  a  veil  of  fleecy  white  clouds,  which  cast 
a  grayish  film  over  the  landscape.  The  lads 
joked  each  other  about  having  the  "creeps,"  but 
none  would  admit  the  charge. 

Walter,  with  rifle  slung  over  his  right 
shoulder,  went  out  on  the  first  watch  with  in- 
structions to  go  at  least  two  hundred  yards  from 
camp  and  keep  walking  around  the  camp  in  a 
circle.  This  would  protect  them  from  surprises 
on  all  sides.  Ned  decided  not  to  retire  until  he 
had  taken  his  guard  trick,  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  he  was  to  go  on  at  eleven  o'clock.      But 


IN   NEW  MEXICO     -  97 

Stacy,  proposing  to  get  all  the  sleep  he  was  en- 
titled to,  turned  in  early.  The  rest  did  not  dis- 
turb him.  The  boys  were  unusually  quiet  that 
evening,  perhaps  feeling  that  the  responsibility 
of  the  safety  of  the  camp  rested  wholly  upon 
their  youthful  shoulders. 

Ned  came  in  at  one  o  'clock,  after  having  taken 
his  turn,  unslung  his  rifle,  drew  the  cartridges 
then  put  them  back  in  the  magazine  again. 

"I  might  need  them  before  morning,"  he  told 
himself. 

Chunky  being  sound  asleep,  Ned  grabbed  him 
by  a  foot  giving  him  a  violent  pull. 

" "Watcher  want?  Get  out!"  growled  the  fat 
boy  sleepily. 

"Get  up  and  take  your  watch!"  commanded 
Ned. 

"Who's  afraid  of  Indians?"  mumbled  Stacy. 

This  time  Ned  took  the  lad  by  the  collar, 
jerked  him  to  his  feet  and  shook  him  until  Stacy 
yelled  "Ouch!"  so  loudly  as  to  awaken  the  en- 
tire camp. 

It  took  some  time,  however,  to  get  Stacy  him- 
self awake  sufficiently  to  make  him  understand 
that  he  had  a  duty  to  perform.  Finally,  how- 
ever, he  shouldered  his  rifle,  after  surreptiti- 
ously helping  himself  to  a  sandwich  from  the 
cook  tent.  Then  he  marched  off,  munching  the 
bread  and  meat. 


98  THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

"See  here,"  snapped  Ned,  running  after  him. 
"You're  not  measuring  off  your  distance.  Come 
back  and  pace  it  off." 

"How  many?" 

"Two  hundred  yards.  Stretch  your  fat  legs 
as  far  as  they'll  go,  then  you'll  have  a  yard, 
more  or  less." 

Stacy  started  all  over  again,  forgot  the  count, 
came  back,  then  tried  it  again.  Even  at  that  he 
was  not  sure  whether  he  had  gone  one  hundred 
yards  or  five. 

He  was  awake  enough,  now,  to  observe  his 
surroundings.  The  cool  breezes  of  the  night 
were  tossing  the  leaves  of  the  cottonwoods  near 
the  water  course  to  the  west  of  them,  while  here 
and  there  in  the  foliage  might  be  heard  the  ex- 
ultant notes  of  a  mocking  bird. 

Stacy  shivered. 

"Guess  it's  going  to  freeze  to-night,"  he  de- 
cided, beginning  his  steady  tramp  about  the 
camp  of  the  Pony  Rider  Boys. 

Muttering  to  himself,  as  was  his  habit  when 
alone,  Stacy  kept  on  until  finding  himself  oppo- 
site the  ponies,  he  decided  to  go  over  and  look 
at  them.  All  were  asleep.  Not  one  had  awak- 
ened since  going  down  under  the  powerful  in- 
fluence of  the  "sleepy  grass." 

"I'd  like  to  eat  some  of  that  stuff  myself, 
right  now,"  Chunky  decided  out  loud.      "I'd 


IN  NEW  MEXICO^  '99 

have  a  good  excuse  for  going  to  sleep  then. 
Now  I  can't  without  getting  jumped  on  by  the 
fellows.  Wonder  what  time  it  is — only  half- 
past  one.  Must  be  something  the  matter  with 
my  watch.  I  know  I've  been  out  more'n  two 
hours." 

This  trip  he  circled  out  further  from  the  camp, 
growing  a  little  more  confident  because  nothing 
had  happened  to  disturb  him. 

In  the  meantime  the  camp  slept  in  peace — 
that  is,  the  lads  did  until  nearly  time  for  the 
change  of  guard.  Then  the  whole  party  was 
aroused  with  the  sudden,  startling  conviction 
that  something  serious  had  happened. 

All  at  once  the  crack  of  a  rifle  sounded  on 
the  still  night  air.  It  was  followed  by  another 
shot,  and  another,  until  four  distinct  reports  had 
rolled  across  the  plains. 

In  wild  disorder  the  Pony  Rider  Boys  tumbled 
from  their  cots,  and,  grasping  their  weapons, 
leaped  from  the  tents. 

"What's  the  row1?"  inquired  the  Professor. 

"Wow!  Wow!  Wow!  Yeow!"  shrieked  a 
shrill  voice  to  the  northward. 

"It's  Chunky.  He's  giving  the  alarm!  We're 
attacked ! ' '  cried  the  lads. 

Bang !    Bang ! 

They  saw  the  flash  of  the  fat  boy's  weapon 
before  the  report  reached  their  ears. 


100         THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

A  moment  later  the  other  boys  caught  sight 
of  Stacy  dashing  into  camp,  hatless,  waving  his 
rifle  and  yelling  as  if  bereft  of  his  senses. 

"What  is  it?  What  is  it!"  cried  the  boys 
with  one  voice. 

''Indians!  Indians!  The  prairie's  full  ol 
them!" 

CHAPTER   X 

MEETING  THE   ATTACK 

INSTANTLY  the  camp  was  thrown  into  con- 
fusion. The  lads  ran  here  and  there,  not 
knowing  what  to  do. 

"Get  behind  the  ponies!  That's  the  only 
cover  we  can  find  here,    Run  for  it!" 

And  run  they  did,  the  Professor  outdistanc- 
ing all  the  rest  in  his  attempt  to  secrete  himself 
where  the  enemy's  weapons  would  not  be  likely 
to  reach  him. 

In  a  moment  more,  the  camp  of  the  Pony 
Rider  Boys  was  deserted,  and  behind  each  sleep- 
ing pony  lay  a  boy,  with  rifle  barrel  poked  over 
the  animal 's  back,  ready  to  shoot  at  the  first  sign 
of  the  redskins.  Stacy,  in  his  excitement,  had 
forgotten  that  not  a  cartridge  was  left  in  his 
magazine,  and  the  others  were  too  fully  occu- 
pied to  remember  to  tell  him. 

For  all  of  half  an  hour  did  the  party  lie  pro- 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  101 

tected.    The  boys  began  to  grow  restive.    Tad's 
suspicions  were  being  slowly  aronsed. 

"I'm  going  to  do  a  little  scouting,"  he  told 
them,  slipping  from  behind  the  pony  and  skulk- 
ing along  back  of  the  tents.  The  moon  was 
shining  brightly  now.  He  could  see  a  long  dis- 
tance.   Not  a  human  being  was  in  sight. 

'"I  thought  so,"  he  muttered,  retracing  his 
steps.  "See  here,  Stacy  Brown,  what  did  you 
see — what  did  you  shoot  at?"  he  demanded 
sternly. 

"I— I  shot  the  chute —  I — I  mean  I  chuted 
the  shot — I  mean — " 

"Say,  what  do  you  mean?" 

"I — I  mean — say,  leggo  my  neck,  will  you?" 
roared  Chunky. 

"Fellows,  he  doesn't  know  what  he  means." 

"Guess  he's  been  feeding  on  crazy  grass  out 
on  the  prairie,"  was  Ned's  conclusion. 

"There  isn't  an  Indian  anywhere  around 
here.  I  know  it.  They  would  have  been  after 
us  long  before  this,  if  there  had  been." 

One  by  one  the  boys  came  from  their  hiding 
places,  the  lazy  Mexican  last.  Disapproving 
eyes  were  turned  on  Stacy. 

"Chunky,  you  come  along  and  show  us  where 
you  were  when  you  shot — did  you  shoot  at  an 
Indian?"  asked  Tad. 

"Yes,  and  I— I — I  shot  him." 


102         THE   PONY   RIDER   BOYS 

"Show  U3.  We're  all  from  Chillicothe,"  de- 
manded Ned. 

Stacy,  with  a  show  of  importance,  led  the 
way,  keeping  a  wary  eye  out  for  the  enemy.  It 
was  noticed,  however,  that  each  of  the  lads,  held 
his  rifle  ready  for  business  in  case  there  should 
be  an  enemy  about. 

" There!  I  was  standing  right  over  there — 
I  guess." 

"You  guess!  Don't  you  know?"  questioned 
the  Professor. 

"Yes ;  that's  the  place." 

The  lad  walked  over  to  the  identical  spot  from 
which  he  had  first  fired  his  rifle. 

"He  was  over  there  and  I  shot  at  him,  so," 
said  Stacy,  leveling  the  weapon.  "Ye-ow! 
There  he  is,  now!"  shrieked  the  boy. 

Every  weapon  flashed  up  to  a  level  with  the 
eyes. 

"There  is  something  over  there  on  the 
ground,"  decided  the  Professor. 

"Put  down  your  guns  so  you  don't  shoot 
me,"  said  Tad,  "I'm  going  to  find  out  what 
it  is." 

Keeping  Ms  own  weapon  held  at  "ready," 
the  lad  walked  boldly  over  to  where  a  heap  of 
some  sort  lay  on  the  plain.  It  surely  had  not 
been  there  during  the  afternoon — Tad  knew 
thai 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  103 

He  reached  it,  stooped,  peered,  then  uttered 
a  yell. 

"What  is  it"  they  cried,  hurrying  up. 

"You've  done  it  now,  Chunky  Brown,.  You 
certainly  have  gone  and  done  it." 

"What — what  is  it?"  cried  the  others  in 
alarm. 

"You've  shot  the  lazy  Mexican's  burro. 
That's  your  Indian,  Stacy  Brown." 

Juan,  who  had  followed  them  out  on  the 
plain,  uttered  a  wail  and  threw  himself  upon 
the  body  of  his  prostrate  burro.  The  animal, 
it  seemed,  had  recovered  consciousness  during1 
the  night,  and  in  a  half-dazed  condition  had 
wandered  out  on  the  plain.  Stacy,  while 
crouching  down  on  the  ground,  had  seen  the 
head  and  long  ears  of  the  burro.  He  thought 
the  ears  were  part  of  the  head  dress  of  a  sav- 
age and  let  fly  a  volley  of  bullets  at  it. 

"He— he'  isn't  dead,"  shouted  the  fat  boy. 
"See,  I  just  pinked  him  in  the  ears." 

And,  surely  enough,  an  examination  revealed 
a  hole  through  each  ear.  The  holes  were  so 
close  to  the  animal's  head  that  it  was  reason- 
able to  suppose  the  shot  had  stunned  him,  being 
already  in  a  weakened  condition  from  the  sleepy 
grass. 

The  boys  set  to  work  to  rouse  the  burro, 
which  they  succeeded  in  doing  in  a  short  time*. 


104         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

Juan,  with  arm  around  the  lazy  beast's  neck,  led 
it  back  to  camp,  petting  and  soothing  it  with 
a  chattering  that  they  could  not  understand. 

There  was  no  more  sleep  in  camp  that  night, 
though  the  boys  turned  in  at  the  Professor's 
suggestion.  Every  little  while,  laughter  would 
sound  in  one  of  the  tents,  as  the  others  fell  to 
discussing  Stacy's  Indian  attack. 

The  next  morning  they  were  overjoyed  to 
find  that  the  ponies  had  awakened  and  were  try- 
ing to  get  up. 

"Lead  them  out  of  that  grass,  fellows," 
shouted  Tad,  the  moment  he  saw  the  ponies  were 
coming  around.  "We  don't  want  them  to  make 
another  meal  of  that  stuff." 

"Nor  take  another  of  Chunky 's  Eip  Van 
Winkle  sleeps,"  added  Ned. 

Never  having  had  a  like  experience,  none  of 
the  lads  knew  what  to  do  with  their  mounts 
after  getting  them  sufficiently  awake  to  lead 
them  to  a  place  of  safety.  They  appealed  to 
Juan  for  advice,  but  the  lazy  Mexican  appeared 
to  know  even  less  than  they. 

Tad,  after  studying  the  question  a  few  mo- 
ments, decided  to  give  them  water,  though  spar- 
ingly. This  they  appeared  to  relish  and  braced 
lip  quite  a  little.  But  the  boy  would  not  allow 
4hem  to  graze  until  nearly  noon,  when  each  one 
took  his  pony  out,  making  sure  that  there  was 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  105 

none  of  the  sleepy  grass  around.  The  animals 
were  then  permitted  to  graze. 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  Tad  de- 
cided that  all  were  fit  to  continue  the  journey, 
and  that  it  would  be  safe  to  travel  until  sunset. 
Everyone  was  glad  to  get  away  from  the  spot 
where  they  had  had  such  unpleasant  experi- 
ences, and  the  boys  set  off,  moving  slowly,  the 
stock  not  yet  being  in  the  best  of  condition. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  when  they  had  about 
decided  to  make  camp,  one  of  the  boys  espied  an 
object,  something  like  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away, 
that  looked  like  the  roof  of  a  house.' 

Ned  said  it  couldn't  be  that,  as  it  appeared 
to  be  resting  on  the  ground.  They  asked  Juan 
if  he  knew  what  it  was,  and  for  a  wonder  he  did. 
He  said  it  was  a  dug-out — a  place  where  a  man 
lived. 

"Is  he  a  hermit?"  asked  Stacy  apprehen- 
sively, at  which  there  was  a  laugh.  Stacy  had 
not  forgotten  his  experiences  in  the  cave  of  the 
hermit  of  the  Nevada  Desert. 

For  the  next  hour,  the  lads  were  too  busy, 
pitching  tents  and  unloading  the  pack  animals, 
to  give  further  thought  to  the  dug-out  or  its 
occupant;  but  when,  after  they  had  prepared 
their  evening  meal,  they  saw  some  one  approach- 
ing on  horseback,  they  were  instantly  curious 
again. 


106         THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

The  newcomer  proved  to  be  the  owner  of  the 
idug-out.  He  was  a  tall,  square-jawed  man,  with 
a  short,  cropped  iron-gray  beard  and  small 
blue,  twinkling  eyes. 

"Will  you  join  us  and  have  some  supper V* 
asked  Tad  politely,  walking  oat  to  greet  the 
stranger. 

"Thank  you;  I  will,  young  man,"  smiled  the 
Btr  anger. 

Tad  introduced  himself  and  companions. 

"You  probably  have  heard  my  name  before, 
young  men.  It  is  Kris  Kringle;  I'm  living  out 
here  for  my  health  and  doing  a  little  ranching 
on  the  side." 

Stacy  looked  his  amazement. 

"Is — is  he  Santa  Claus?"  he  whispered,  tug- 
ging at  Tad's  coat  sleeve. 

"No,  young  man.  I  am  not  related  to  the 
gentleman  you  refer  to,"  grinned  Mr.  Kringle. 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  Stacy's  ex- 
pense. 

After  supper,  the  visitor  invited  all  hands  to 
ride  over  to  his  dug-out  and  spend  the  evening 
with  him.  The  boys  accepted  gladly,  never 
having  seen  the  inside  of  a  dug-out,  and  not 
knowing  what  one  looked  like.  Professor  Zepp- 
lin  had  taken  a  sudden  liking  to  the  man  with 
the  Christmas  name,  and  soon  the  two  were  en- 
gaged in  earnest  conversation. 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  107 

The  distance  being  so  short,  Tad  decided  that 
fhey  had  better  walk,  leaving  the  ponies  in 
charge  of  Juan  so  they  might  get  a  full  night 'a 
rest.    Then  all  hands  set  out  for  the  dug-out, 

A  short  flight  of  steps  led  down  into  the  placet 
the  roof  of  which  was  raised  just  far  enough 
above  the  ground  to  permit  of  two  narrow  win- 
dows on  each  side  and  at  the  rear  end. 

The  room  in  which  they  found  themselves^ 
proved  to  be  a  combination  kitchen  and  dining 
room.  Its  neatness  and  orderliness  impressed 
them  at  once. 

"And  here,"  said  Kris  Kringle,  *'is  what  I 
call  my  den, ' '  throwing  open  a  door  leading  into 
a  rear  room  and  lighting  a  hanging  oil  lamp. 

The  Pony  Rider  Boys  uttered  an  exclamation 
of  surprised  delight. 

On  a  hardwood  floor  lay  a  profusion  of 
brightly  colored  Navajo  rugs,  the  walls  being 
hung  with  others  of  exquisite  workmanship  and 
coloring,  interspersed  with  weapons  and  trophies 
of  the  chase,  while  in  other  parts  of  the  room 
were  rare  specimens  of  pottery  from  ancient 
adobe  houses  of  the  Pueblos. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  room  was  a  great  fire- 
place. Book  cases,  home-made,  stood  about  the 
room,  full  of  books.  The  Professor  realized,  at 
once,  that  they  were  in  the  home  of  a  student 
and  a  collector. 


ID8         THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

"This  is  indeed  an  oasis  in  the  desert/'  he 
glowed.    "I  shall  be  loath  to  leave  here." 

"Then  don't,"  smiled  Mr.  Kringle.  "I'm  sure 
I  am  glad  enough  to  have  company.  Seldom 
ever  see  anyone  here,  except  now  and  then  a 
roving  band  of  Indians." 

{* Indians!"  exclaimed  Tad.  "Do  you  have 
any  trouble  with  them?" 

"Well,  they  know  better  than  to  bother  with 
me  much.  We  have  had  an  occasional  argu- 
ment," said  their  host,  his  jaws  setting  almost 
stubbornly  for  the  instant.  "Most  of  the  tribes 
fal  the  state  are  peaceful,  though  the  Apaches 
are  as  bad  as  ever.  They  behave  themselves 
because  they  have  to,  not  because  they  wish  to 
3o  so." 

"I  saw  their  fire  dance  the  other  night,"  be- 
jgan  Tad. 

"What?"  demanded  Mr.  Kringle. 

"Fire  dance." 

"Tell  me  about  it?" 

Tad  did  so,  the  host  listening  with  grave  face 
tmtil  the  recital  was  ended. 

He  shook  his  head  disapprovingly. 

"And  this — this  Indian  that  you  knocked 
flown — was  he  an  Apache?" 

"I  don't  know.  I  think  so,  though.  He  had 
©*i  a  peculiar  head  dress " 

"That  was  one  of  them,"  interrupted  Mr. 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  109 

Kringle,  with  emphasis.  "And  I'll  wager  you 
haven't  heard  the  last  of  him  yet.  That's  an 
insult  which  the  Apache  brave  will  harbor  under 
his  copper  skin  forever.  He'll  wait  for  years, 
but  he  '11  get  even  if  he  can. ' ' 

The  faces  of  the  Pony  Eider  Boys  were  grave. 

"Have  you  a  reliable  guide1?" 

"Far  from  it,"  answered  the  Professor.  "If 
I  knew  where  I  could  get  another,  I  'd  pack  him 
off  without  ceremony. 

Kris  Kringle  was  silent  for  a  moment. 

"I  need  a  little  change  of  scene,"  he  smiled. 
"How  would  you  like  to  have  me  take  the  trail 
with  you  for  a  week  or  so  ? " 

' '  Would  you ! ' '  glowed  the  Professor,  half  ris- 
ing from  his  chair. 

"I  think  I  might." 

"Hurrah!"  cried  the  Pony  Eiders  enthusiast- 
ically.    "That  will  be  fine." 

"Of  course,  you  understand  that  I  expect  no 
pay.  I  am  going  because  I  happen  to  take  a  no- 
tion to  do  so.  Perhaps  I'll  be  able  to  serve  you 
at  the  same  time. ' ' 

The  Professor  grasped  Mr.  Kringle  by  the 
hand  impulsively. 

"I'll  send  that  lazy  Juan  on  his  way  this  very 
night " 

"Let  me  do  it,"  interposed  Stacy,  with  flush- 
ing face.    "I'll  do  it  right,  Professor.    But  I'll 


110         THE   PONY  EIDER   BOYS 

put  on  my  pair  of  heavy  boots  first,  so  it  '11  hurt 
him  more." 

The  boys  shouted  with  laughter,  while  the  new 
guide's  eyes  twinkled  merrily. 

"I  think,  perhaps,  the  young  man  might  do  it 
iven  more  effectively  than  you  or  I,"  he  said. 
^Have  you  weapons,  Professor?" 

"Rifles." 

"That's  good.    We  may  need  them." 

"Then  you  think f" 

"One  can  never  tell." 


CHAPTER   XI 

RIDING   WITH   KKIS   KEINGLE 

A  SLENDER    ribbon    of    dust    unrolling 
across  the  plain  far  to  the  northward 
marked  the  receding  trail  of  Juan  and 
his  lazy  burro.     They  had  given  him  a  week's 
extra  pay  and  sent  him  on  his  way. 

The  burro  was  making  for  home,  aided  by  the 
busy  feet  of  its  master,  while  Stacy  Brown,  shad- 
ing his  eyes  with  one  hand,  was  watching  the 
progress  of  the  guide,  whom  he  had  just  sent 
adrift. 

"Well,  he's  gone,"  grinned  Stacy,  turning  to 
his  companions,  who  were  busy  striking  camp. 
"And  a  good  riddance,"  nodded  Tad. 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  m 

"He'll  probably  join  the  Indians  and  tell 
them  where  we  are, ' '  suggested  Walter. 

"I  hadn't  thought  of  that,"  replied  Tad. 
"Still,  if  they  wish  to  find  us  they  know  how 
without  Juan's  telling  them." 

"How?" 

"They  can  follow  a  trail  with  their  eyes  shut," 
said  Ned. 

"That's  right.  They  do  not  need  to  be  told," 
muttered  Tad. 

Everything  being  in  readiness,  the  boys 
started  with  their  outfit  for  the  dug-out,  where 
1hey  were  to  be  joined  by  Kris  Kringle.  They 
felt  a  real  relief  to  know  that  they  were  to  have 
with  them  a  strong  man  on  whom  they  were 
sure  they  could  rely  to  do  the  right  thing  under 
all  circumstances.  Tad,  however,  believed  that 
&fr.  Kringle  had  decided  to  join  them,  fearing 
they  would  be  attacked  by  the  Apaches  and  come 
to  serious  harm.  Yet  he  hardly  thought  the 
redskins  would  dare  to  follow  them,  after  the  lat- 
ter had  once  gotten  over  the  frenzy  of  their  fire 
dance.  By  that  time  the  Indian  agents  would 
have  rounded  them  all  up  ®n  the  reservations, 
where  the  Indians  would  be  able  to  do  no  more 
harm  for  a  while. 

After  picking  up  the  new  guide  the  start  was 
made.  The  party  had  water  in  plenty  in  the 
water-bags,  so  that  no  effort  was  made  to  pick 


112         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

up  a  water  hole  when  they  made  camp  late  in  the 
afternoon.  The  guide  had  brought  in  his  pack 
a  tough  old  sage  hen,  at  which  the  lads  were  in- 
clined to  jeer  when  he  announced  his  intention 
of  cooking  it  for  their  supper. 

"You'll  change  your  mind  when  you  taste  it, 
young  gentlemen.  It  depends  upon  the  cooking 
entirely.  A  sage  hen  may  be  a  delicious  morsel, 
or  it  may  not,"  answered  Mr.  Kringle,  with  a 
grin. 

They  were  encamped  near  a  succession  of  low- 
lying  buttes,  and  to  while  away  the  time  until 
the  supper  hour,  the  boys  strolled  away  singly 
to  stretch  their  legs  on  the  plain  after  the  long 
day's  ride  in  the  hot  sun. 

When  they  returned  an  hour  or  so  later, 
Stacy,  they  observed,  was  swinging  a  curious 
forked  stick  that  he  had  picked  up  somewhere  a 
few  moments  ago. 

"What  you  got  there ?"  questioned  Ned. 

"Don't  know.  Picked  it  up  on  the  plain. 
Such  a  funny  looking  thing,  that  I  brought  it 
along." 

"Let  me  see  it,"  asked  Mr.  Kringle. 

Stacy  handed  it  to  him. 

"This,"  said  the  guide,  turning  the  stick  over 
in  his  hand,  "is  a  divining  rod." 

"Divining  rod?"  demanded  Stacy,  pressing 
forward. 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  113 

"Yes."  , 

"Never  heard  of  it.    Is  it  good  to  eat?" 

"Looks  to  me  like  a  wish  bone,"  interjected 
Ned.    "Do  you  eat  wish  bones,  Chunky?" 

"Might,  if  I  were  hungry  enough." 

"A  divining  rod  is  used  to  locate  springa 
Some  users  of  it  have  been  very  successful.  I 
couldn't  find  a  lake  with  it,  even  if  I  fell  in 
first" 

"Indeed,"  marveled  the  Professor.  "I  bars 
heard  of  the  remarkable  work  of  divining  roda. 
What  kind  of  wood  is  it ! " 

"This  is  hazel  wood.  Oak,  elm,  ash  or  privei 
also  are  used,  but  hazel  is  preferred  in  this  coun- 
try." 

"Then — then  we  won't  have  to  go  dry  an$ 
more — I  can  find  water  with  this  when  I*fa 
dry?"  questioned  Stacy. 

"You  might;  then  again  you  might  not." 

"Better  take  it  away  from  him,"  suggested 
Ned.  "He  might  find  a  spring.  If  he  did  he^3 
be  sure  to  fall  in  and  drown." 

The  stick,  which  was  shaped  like  the  letter  "¥, 
was  an  object  of  great  interest  to  the  Party 
Rider  Boys.  One  by  one  they  took  it  out  on 
the  plain,  in  an  effort  to  locate  some  water.  The 
guide  instructed  them  to  hold  the  Y  with  t&e 
bottom  up,  one  prong  in  each  hand  and  to  walk 
slowly. 


114         THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

But,  try  as  they  would,  they  were  able  to  get 
no  results. 

"The  thing's  a  fraud!"  exclaimed  Ned  dis- 
gustedly, throwing  the  divining  rod  away. 

Stacy  picked  it  up. 

"I  know  why  it  doesn't  work,"  he  said. 

"Why?"  demanded  the  other  boys. 

"  'Cause — 'cause  there  isn't  any  water  to 
make  it  work,"  he  replied  wisely. 

The  boya  groaned. 

Shortly  after  returning  to  camp,  they  found 
the  fat  boy  standing  over  a  pail  of  water  hold- 
ing the  stick  above  it. 

He  was  talking  to  the  stick  confidentially, 
urging  it  to  "do  something,"  to  the  intense 
amusement  of  the  whole  outfit. 

"Now,  where's  your  theory?"  questioned  the 
Professor. 

"Why,  k  doesn't  have  to  work,  does  itf 
Don't  we  know  there's  water  here ?  If  we  didn't 
the  stick  would  tell  us,  maybe.  Take  my  word 
for  it,  this  outfit  won't  have  to  go  dry  after  this. 
Stacy  Brown  and  his  magic  wand  will  find  all 
the  water  needed,"  continued  the  fat  boy 
proudly. 

"Your  togic  is  good,  at  any  rate,  even  if  the 
rod  doesn't  work  at  command,"  laughed  the 
Professor. 

Supper  was  a  jolly  affair,  for  everyone  was 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  115 

In  high  spirits.  The  sage  hen,  contrary  to  gen- 
eral expectation,  was  found  to  be  delicious. 
Chunky  begged  for  the  wish  bone  and  got  it.  He 
said  he'd  use  it  for  a  divining  rod  when  he 
wanted  to  find  a  little  spring. 

"Mr.  Kringle,  I  am  commissioned  by  the  fel- 
lows to  ask  you  a  question,"  announced  Tad, 
after  the  meal  had  been  in  progress  for  a  time. 

"Ask  it,"  smiled  the  guide. 

"We  thought  we'd  like  to  call  you  Santa 
Claus,  seeing  you've  brought  us  so  much  cheer. 
Then  again,  it's  your  name  you  know.  Kris 
Kringle  is  Santa  Claus." 

"Oh,  well,  call  me  what  you  please,  young 
men." 

From  that  moment  on,  Kris  Kringle  was 
Santa  Claus  to  the  Pony  Eider  Boys. 

They  had  now  come  to  a  rolling  country,  with 
here  and  there  high  buttes,  followed  by  large 
areas  of  bottom  lands  which  were  covered  with 
rank  growths  of  bunch  grass.  Traveling  was 
more  difficult  than  it  had  been,  and  water  more 
scarce. 

It  was  on  the  second  day  out,  after  they  had 
been  skirmishing  for  water  in  every  direction, 
that  the  lads  heard  the  familiar  yell  from 
Chunky. 

"There  goes  the  trouble  maker,"  cried  Ned. 
"He's  at  it  again." 


116         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

The  guide  bounded  up,  starting  on  a  run  for 
the  spot  where  Chunky 's  wail  had  been  heard. 
The  others  were  not  far  behind. 

They  saw  the  red,  perspiring  face  of  the  fat 
boy  above  a  clump  of  grass,  his  yells  for  help 
continuing,  unabated. 

"What  is  it?"  shouted  the  guide. 

"I've  got  it,  Santa  Claus!    I've  got  it!" 

"Got  what?"  roared  the  Professor. 

"The  stick.  I — I  mean  it's  got  me.  Help! 
Help!" 

Stacy  was  wrestling  about  as  if  engaged  in 
combat  with  some  enemy.  They  could  not 
imagine  what  had  gone  wrong — what  had 
caused  his  sudden  cries  of  alarm. 

"It's  the  divining  rod!"  called  the  guide. 

"He's  found  water!"  shouted  the  boys. 

"I've  got  it!  I've  got  it!  Come  help  me 
hold  it.    The  thing 's  jerking  my  arms  off. ' ' 

To  the  amazement  of  the  Pony  Eider  Boys, 
the  forked  stick  in  the  hands  of  the  fat  boy  was 
performing  some  strange  antics.  Breathing 
hard,  he  would  force  it  up  until  it  was  nearly 
upright,  when  all  at  once  the  point  of  the  tri- 
angle would  suddenly  swerve  downward,  bend- 
ing the  rod  almost  to  the  breaking  point. 

"See  it!    See  it?" 

"Most  remarkable,"  breathed  Professor  Zepp- 
lin. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  117 

"  Yes,  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  it,"  nodded 
the  guide. 

"He's  bluffing,"  disagreed  Ned. 

"Doesn't  look  to  me  as  if  be  were,"  returned 
Tad. 

"Take  bold  with  me  here,  if  you  don't  be- 
lieve me,"  cried  Stacy.  "No,  not  on  the  stick, 
take  bold  of  my  wrists." 

Ned  promptly  accepted  the  invitation. 

Instantly  the  tug  of  the  divining  rod  was  felt 
by  the  new  hands. 

Ned  let  go  quickly. 

"Ugh!    The  thing  gives  me  the  creeps." 

"Let  me  try  it,  Master  Stacy,"  said  Profes- 
sor Zepplin. 

"I  can't  let  go  of  it,"  wailed  Chunky. 

"Step  off  a  piece,"  directed  the  guide. 

Stacy  did  so,  whereupon  the  divining  rod  im- 
mediately ceased  its  peculiar  actions. 

The  Professor  took  hold  of  it,  but  the  rod  re- 
fused to  work  for  him. 

"Let  Santa  Claus  try  it,"  suggested  Ned. 

The  guide  did  so,  but  with  no  more  success 
than  the  Professor  had  had.  . 

"I  told  you  it  wouldn't  work  for  me,"  Mr. 
Kringle  grinned.  "Here,  Master  Tad,  you  try, 
it" 

Tad,  with  the  rod  grasped  firmly  in  his  hands, 
walked  back  and  forth  three  times  without  result. 


118         THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

On  the  fourth  attempt,  however,  the  stick  sud- 
denly bent  nearly  double. 

All  were  amazed. 

"Why  were  we  unable  to  get  results,  Mr. 
Kringle?"  questioned  the  Professor. 

"According  to  some  French  writers  as  much 
depends  upon  the  man  as  on  the  divining  rod. 
"Where  one  succeeds  another  fails  absolutely. 
Supposing  the  others  take  a  try?" 

Walter  and  Ned  did  so,  but  neither  could  get 
the  rod  to  move  for  him. 

"I  guess  Chunky  is  the  champion  water- 
finder,'*  laughed  Ned. 

'  Would  it  not  be  a  good  idea  to  find  out 
whether  or  not  there  is  water  here?"  asked  the 
Professor. 

"Yes,"  agreed  the  guide.  "It  may  be  so  far 
down  that  we  cannot  reach  it,  however.  You 
know  in  some  parts  of  this  region  they  are  locat- 
ing water  with  the  rod  and  sinking  artesian 
wells." 

"Why — why  didn't  we  think  to  bring  some 
down  with  us  ? "  demanded  Chunky.  * '  Can 't  we 
get  any  in  some  of  the  towns  down  here?" 

"Some  what?"  questioned  the  guide. 

"Artesian  wells." 

A  roar  greeted  the  fat  boy's  question. 

"Bring  down  a  load  of  artesian  wells!** 
jeered  Ned. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  119 

"An  artesian  well,  my  boy,  is  nothing  more 
than  a  hole  in  the  ground,"  the  guide  informed 
him,  much  to  Chunky 's  chagrin. 

The  spot  where  the  divining  rod  had  so  sud- 
denly gotten  busy  was  about  midway  of  an  old 
water  course,  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of 
bunch  grass. 

"Get  some  tools,  boys,"  directed  the  Profes- 
sor. 

Tad  ran  back  to  camp,  which  lay  some  dis- 
tance to  the  east  of  where  they  were  gathered. 
Searching  out  a  pick  and  two  shovels,  he  leaped 
on  his  pony,  dashing  back  to  the  arroyo. 

"That  was  quickly  done,"  smiled  Santa 
Claus.  "Are  all  of  you  lads  as  quick  on  an  er- 
rand as  that?" 

"Only  Chunky,"  answered  Ned  solemnly. 

The  guide  began  to  dig,  in  which  effort  he  was 
joined  by  Stacy  Brown,  who,  with  a  shovel, 
caved  in  about  as  much  dirt  as  he  threw  out. 

"Here,  give  me  that  shovel,"  commanded 
Ned.  "You'll  fill  up  the  hole  before  we  get  it 
dug." 

Tad,  having  tethered  his  pony,  took  the  extra 
shovel  and  went  to  work. 

"Guess  it's  a  false  alarm,"  decided  Ned,  after 
they  were  up  to  their  shoulders  in  the  hole. 

"Don't  be  too  sure.  The  ground  is  quite 
damp  here.    Try  your  rod,  young  man." 


120         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

"Chunky  held  the  divining  rod  over  the  exca- 
vation, whereupon  it  drew  down  with  even 
greater  force  than  before. 

"Dig,**  directed  the  guide. 

They  did  so  with  a  will. 

"Here's  water!"  shouted  Kris  Krin^le.    , 

They  crowded  about  the  hole,  amazement 
written  on  every  face. 

A  fresh,  cool  stream  bubbled  up  into  the  hole, 
causing  those  in  the  pit  to  scramble  out  hastily. 

"Some  of  you  boys  run  back  to  camp  and 
fetch  pails  and  water-bags,"  directed  the  guide. 

"I'll  go.  I've  got  the  pony  here,"  spoke  up 
Tad. 

"No;  I  want  you  to  do  something  else  for 
me." 

"We'll  all  go,"  offered  Walter.  The  three 
lads  started  on  a  run,  Chunky  holding  his  pre- 
cious divining  rod  tightly  clasped  in  both  hands. 

"What  is  it  you  wish?"  questioned  Tad. 

"I  wish  you  would  ride  over  toward  that 
small  butte  and  cut  a  load  of  brush.  Want  to 
rip-rap  the  outer  edge  of  this  water  hole,  so 
the  bank  will  not  cave  in  and  undo  all  our  work. 
Have  you  a  hatchet?" 

"Yes,  in  my  saddlebags." 

"Good.    Hurry,  please." 

Tad  leaped  into  the  saddle,  and  putting  spurs 
to  his  broncho,  tore  through  the  high  bunch 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  121 

grass,  above  which  only  his  head  was  now  ob- 
servable. In  a  short  time  he  was  back  with  the 
green  stuff  piled  high  on  the  saddle  in  front  of 
him,  with  a  large  bundle  tied  to  the  cantle  of 
the  saddle  behind. 

Unloading  this,  Butler  started  back  at  a  gal- 
lop for  more.  "When  there  was  work  to  be  done, 
Tad  Butler  was  happy.  Activity  to  him  was  a 
tonic  that  spurred  him  on  to  ever  greater  efforts. 

This  time  he  found  himself  obliged  to  climb 
higher  up  the  butte  in  order  to  get  branches  of 
available  size.  These  he  cut  and  threw  down. 
After  having  procured  what  he  thought  would 
be  all  he  could  carry  the  lad  scrambled  down, 
and,  dropping  on  his  knees  began  tying  them 
into  bundles.  The  heat  was  sweltering,  and  oc- 
casionally he  paused  to  wipe  away  the  perspira- 
tion. 

*'I  smell  smoke,"  sniffed  Tad.  "I  wonder 
where  it  comes  from?" 

The  odor  grew  stronger,  but  so  interested  was 
he  in  his  labor  that  he  did  not  at  once  under- 
stand the  significance  of  his  discovery. 

"W-h-o-o-e-e!" 

It  was  a  long-drawn,  warning  shout. 

"It's  a  signal !"  exclaimed  the  lad,  straighten 
ing  up.    * '  I  wonder  what  's  the  matter  ? ' ' 

As  he  looked  toward  the  camp  a  great  wall  of 
Same  seemed  to  leap  from  the  ground  between 


122         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

him  and  his  companions.  There  it  poised  fo» 
one  brief  instant,  then,  with  a  roar  swooped 
down  into  the  tall  bunch  grass,  rushing  roar- 
ing and  crackling  toward  him. 

For  an  instant  he  stood  unbelieving,  then  the 
truth  dawned  upon  him. 

"The  prairie's  on  fire!"  cried  Tad. 


CHAPTER   Xn 

THE   DASH   FOR  LIFE 

THE  shouts  of  the  Pony  Rider  Boys  and  of 
the  guide  were  swallowed  up  in  the  roar 
of  the  flames." 

"They'll  be  burned  alive!"  whispered  the 
lad. 

Then,  all  at  once  he  realized  that  he  himself 
was  in  dire  peril. 

"I'll  have  to  go  the  other  way  and  be  quick 
about  it  at  that,"  he  decided,  making  a  dash  for 
the  pony,  that  already  was  whinnying  with  fear 
and  tugging  at  its  tether. 

Tad  did  not  wait  to  untie  the  stake  rope. 
"With  a  sweep  of  his  knife  he  severed  it  and 
vaulted  into  the  saddle. 

Whirling  the  animal  about  he  headed  to  the 
west.  To  his  alarm  he  suddenly  discovered  that 
the  prairie  fire  was  rapidly  encircling  him,  the 


.  IN  NEW  MEXICO  m 

Barnes  running  around  the  outer  edge  of  the  bot- 
toms with  express  train  speed,  threatening  to 
head  him  off  and  envelop  him.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  long  grass,  which,  tangling  the  feet  of 
the  pony,  made  full  speed  impossible,  the  race 
with  the  flames  would  have  been  an  easy  one  to 
win.  As  it  was,  Tad  knew  that  the  chances 
were  against  him. 

But  the  dire  peril  in  which  he  found  himself 
did  not  daunt  the  Pony  Eider  Boy.  Perhaps 
his  face  had  grown  a  shade  paler  underneath 
the  tan,  but  that  was  all.  His  senses  were  on  the 
slert,  his  lips  met  in  a  firm  pressure  and  the  hand 
gripped  the  bridle  rein  a  little  more  firmly,  per- 
haps, than  usual. 

Uttering  a  shrill  cry  to  inform  his  compan- 
ions that  he  was  alive  to  his  peril,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  encourage  the  broncho,  Tad  dug 
in  the  rowels  of  his  spurs. 

The  frightened  pony  cleared  the  ground  with 
all  four  feet,  uttering  a  squeal,  and  launching  it- 
self at  the  rapidly  narrowing  clear  space  ahead 
of  him;  and  urged  to  greater  and  greater  en- 
deavor at  every  leap  by  the  short,  sharp  "yips" 
of  his  rider. 

For  all  the  concern  that  showed  in  his  face. 
Tad  Butler  might  have  been  running  a  horse 
race  for  a  prize  rather  than  fleeing  for  his  life. 

"If  I  make  it  I'm  lucky,"  commented  Tad 


124         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

grimly.  He  found  himself  wondering,  at  the 
same  time,  how  the  fire  had  started.  He  knew 
that  the  flames  first  showed  themselves  midway 
between  where  he  was  at  work  and  the  place 
where  his  companions  were  engaged  at  the  water 
hole. 

He  could  not  understand  it.  Fire  was  nec- 
essary to  use  to  start  fire,  and  he  knew  that  none 
of  them  had  been  foolish  enough  even  to  light 
a  match  in  the  dry  bunch  grass  of  the  prairie. 

The  flames  were  reaching  mountain  high  by 
this  time,  great  clouds  of  smoke  rolling  in  on 
the  breeze  and  nearly  suffocating  him. 

At  times  Taa  was  unable  to  see  the  opening 
ahead  of  him.  When,  however,  the  smoke  lifted, 
giving  him  a  momentary  view,  he  saw  that  the 
gap  was  rapidly  closing. 

All  at  once  his  attention  was  drawn  from  the 
closing  gap. 

' *  Yeow !    Yeow  f    Yeow !    Y-e-o-w ! ' ' 

A  series  of  shrill,  blood  curdling  yells  from 
out  the  pall  of  smoke  and  flame  at  the  rear,  bom- 
barded his  ears. 

At  first  he  thought  it  was  Indians;  then  the 
improbability  of  this  being  the  case  came  to  him. 

1  '•  Yeow  I  Yeow !  Yeow ! ' '  persisted  the  voice 
behind,  and  it  was  coming  nearer  every  second, 

Tad  slackened  the  speed  of  his  pony  ever  so 
little,  despite  the  peril  of  his  position. 


W  NEW  MEXICO  125 

"There's  somebody  in  there  behind  me,  and 
he'll  never  get  out  alive  if  he  loses  his  way." 

The  moment  this  thought  occurred  to  him,  Tad 
began  to  yell  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

Suddenly  from  out  the  thick  veil  of  smoke 
burst  a  pony  with  a  mighty  snort,  coming  on  in 
bounds,  each  one  of  which  cleared  many  feet  of 
ground.  Od  the  pony's  back  was  Stacy  Brown, 
hatless,  coatless,  his  hair  standing  up  in  the 
breeze,  his  face  as  red  as  if  it  had  come  in  actual 
contact  with  the  flames. 

"Yeow!"  he  roared,  as  his  pony  shot  past 
Tad  as  if  the  latter 's  mount  were  standing  still. 
"Where  Stacy  had  come  from,  how  he  had  passed 
through  that  wall  of  flame,  Tad  had  not  the 
slightest  idea. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  explanation  was  sim- 
ple enough.  The  guide  had  sent  Chunky  out  to 
assist  Tad  in  bringing  in  the  rip-rapping  ma- 
terial. Stacy  had  made  a  detour  from  the  camp, 
having  gotten  just  inside  the  danger  zone  when 
the  fire  broke  out.  Guided  by  the  butte  where 
he  knew  his  companion  must  be,  Stacy  headed 
for  that  point.  There  he  came  upon  Tad's 
trail,  and  began  yelling  to  attract  his  attention. 
He  had  heard  Tad's  answering  cry,  and  this  in- 
spired the  fat  boy  to  renewed  efforts. 

Stacy,  now  that  he  had  passed  Tad,  slowed  up 
ever  so  little.    He  had  passed  his  companion 


126        THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

so  swiftly  that  he  was  unable  to  determine 
whether  or  not  Tad  were  in  distress. 

The  latter  came  np,  overhauling  Stacy  in  a 
few  moments.    Both  ponies  were  steaming  from 
the  terrific  gruelling  they  were  giving  them- 
selves. 
.     "What  you  doing  here?'*  exploded  Tad. 

"Same  thing  you  are." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"Trying  to  save  myself  from  being  burned 
alive " 

"Don't  slow  up!  Don't  slow  up!"  shouted 
Tad.    "Keep  going!" 

"I  am.    Wat's  matter  with  you?" 

"I  don't  see  what  you  had  to  come  tumbling 
into  this  mess  for,"  objected  Tad. 

"Didn't  tumble  in.  Bode  in.  Came  to  help 
you- — —  " 

"Precious  lot  of  help  you'll  be  to  me.  Lucky 
if  we're  not  both  burned  with  our  boots  on, 
See!  The  flame's  narrowing  in  on  us.  More 
steam,  Chunky !    More  steam ! ' '  urged  Tad. 

"Can't.  Blow  up  the  boiler  if  I  do,"  Stacy 
could  not  be  other  than  humorous,  even  under 
their  present  trying  situation. 

"That's  better  than  burning  out  your  flues, 
and  it's  quicker  too " 

All  at  once,  Chunky  uttered  a  terrible  howl. 
His  pony  had  stepped  into  a  hole  and  gone  dowa 


.      IN  NEW  MEXICO  127 

floundering  in  the  long  grass,  Chunky  himself 
having  heen  hurled  over  the  animal's  head,  land- 
ing several  feet  in  advance. 

"Help!    Help!" 

The  rest  was  lost  as  the  fat  boy's  face  plowed 
the  earth  filling  mouth,  eyes  and  nostrils. 

Tad  did  not  lose  his  presence  of  mind,  though 
events  had  been  following  each  other  in  such 
quick  succession. 

Changing  the  reins  to  his  right  hand  and 
bunching  them  there,  he  grasped  the  pommel  of 
the  saddle,  driving  his  own  pony  straight  at  the 
kicking,  floundering  Chunky. 

The  pony  swerved  ever  so  little,  Tad's  body 
swept  down,  and  when  it  rose,  his  fingers  were 
fastened  in  the  shirt  collar  of  his  companion, 
with  Chunky  yelling  and  choking,  as  he  was 
being  dragged  over  the  ground  at  almost  a  kill- 
ing pace. 

Tad  had  no  time  to  do  more  than  hold  on  to 
his  friend.  He  dared  not  stop  to  lift  him  to  the 
saddle  just  then.  The  flames  were  roaring  be- 
hind them  and  on  either  side,  leaving  a  long, 
narrow  lane  ahead,  through  which  lay  their  only 
hope  of  safety. 

* '  Buck  up !  Buck  up,  Chunky ! ' '  shouted  Tad, 
himself  taking  a  fresh  brace  in  the  stirrups,  for 
the  weight  of  the  fat  boy's  dragging  body  was 
slowly  pulling  Tad  from  the  saddle. 


128         THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

Stacy  was  howling  like  an  Indian,  not  from 
fear,  but  from  anger  at  the  rough  usage  to  which 
he  was  being  subjected.  He  did  not  stop  to 
think  that  it  was  the  only  way  his  life  might  be 
saved — nor  that  his  own  pony  lay  back  there  in 
the  bunch  grass  amid  the  flame  and  smoke. 

Tad  knew  it. 

Now,  by  a  mighty  effort  Tad  righted  himself 
again,  and,  leaning  forward,  threw  one  arm 
about  the  pony's  neck,  trusting  to  the  animal  to 
follow  the  outward  trail  to  safety  of  its  own 
accord. 

Tad  felt  a  sudden  jolt  that  nearly  caused  him 
to  slide  from  his  pony  on  the  side  opposite 
Chunky.  At  the  same  time,  the  strain  on  the 
lad's  arm  was  suddenly  released. 

Tad  was  up  on  his  saddle  like  a  flash.  His 
right  hand  held  the  fat  boy's  shirt,  while  a  series 
of  howls  to  the  rear  told  him  where  the  owner 
of  the.  shirt  lay. 

Tad  groaned.  Pulling  his  pony  fairly  back 
on  its  haunches,  he  dashed  back  where  Stacy 
lay  kicking,  entangling  himself  deeper  and 
deeper  in  the  bunch  grass. 

Had  Tad  not  had  presence  of  mind  they  both 
might  have  perished  right  there.  He  was  off 
like  a  flash.  With  supreme  strength,  he  grasped 
the  body  of  his  fallen  companion,  raising  him 
into  the  saddle. 


IN   NEW  MEXICO  129 

"Hold  on!"  he  shouted.  "Don't  you  dare 
fall  off!" 

Stacy  clung  like  a  monkey  to  a  pony  in  a  cii- 
cus  race. 

"Y-i-i-p!"  trilled  Tad.  He  had  no  time  to 
mount.  Already  he  could  feel  the  hot  breath 
of  the  flames  on  his  cheek. 

The  broncho  was  off  with  a  bound. 

"Tad!  Tad!"  cried  Chunky  in  sudden 
alarm,  now  realizing  that  he  was  alone,  "Whe 
—where  are  you?" 

<H-h-h-h-e-r-e!" 

"W-w-where?" 

"H-h-h-holding  to  the  b-r-r-oncho's  t-tail." 

"Wow !"  howled  Stacy,  as,  turning  in  the  sad- 
dle, he  discovered  his  companion  being  fairly 
jerked  through  the  air,  holding  fast  to  the  pony's 
tail,  the  lad's  feet  hardly  touching  the  ground 
at  all.  The  broncho,  that  ordinarily  would  have 
resented  such  treatment,  too  frilly  occupied  in 
saving  his  own  life  from  the  flames,  gave  no 
heed  to  the  weight  he  was  dragging,  and  it  is 
doubtful  if  he  even  realized  there  was  any  ad- 
ditional weight  there. 

With  a  final,  desperate  leap,  the  broncho  shot 
out  ahead  of  the  narrowing  lane.  Like  the  jaws 
of  some  great  monster,  the  two  lapping  lines  of 
fire  closed  in  behind  them,  roaring  as  if  with 
deadly  rage. 


130         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

The  pony  dashed  out  into  a  broad,  open  water 
course,  whose  dry,  glistening  sands  would  prove 
an  effectual  barrier  to  the  prairie  fire. 

Tad,  though  everything  was  swimimng  before 
his  eyes,  realized  quickly  that  they  were  now 
well  out  of  danger. 

"St-t-t-top  him.  I  c-e-c-an*t  let  go  if  you 
d-d-don 't." 

"Whoa!  Whoa  I  Don't  you  know  enough  to 
quit  when  you're  through?"  chided  Chunky, 
tugging  at  the  reins.  The  broncho  carried  them 
some  distance  before  the  lad  was  able  to  pull 
him  down.    Finally  he  did  so. 

"Leggo!"  he  shouted,  at  the  same  time  whirl- 
ing the  pony  sharply  about,  fairly  "cracking 
the  whip"  with  Tad  Butler. 

Chunky 's  clever  foresight  probably  saved 
Tad  Butler's  life,  for,  instantly  the  pony  found 
itself  free,  it  began  bucking  and  kicking  in  a 
circle,  kicking  a  ring  all  round  the  compass  be- 
fore it  finally  decided  to  settle  down  on  all  fours. 
Finishing,  it  meekly  lowered  its  nose  to  the 
ground  and  now,  as  docile  as  a  kitten  after  hav- 
ing supped  on  warm  milk,  began  dozing,  the 
steam  rising  in  a  cloud  from  its  sides. 

"Well,  of  all  the  fool  fools,  you're  the 
champion  fool!"  growled  Stacy,  slipping  from 
the  saddle  and  surveying  the  broncho  with  dis- 
approving eyes.      "Huh!      I  guess  we'd  been 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  131 

done  to  a  turn  by  this  if  it  hadn't  been  for  you, 
just  the  same.    Hello,  Tad!" 

Tad  had  doubled  up  in  a  heap  where  the  tail 
of  the  broncho  had  flung  him.  He  was  well- 
nigh  spent,  but  he  smiled  back  at  his  companion, 
who  stood  on  a  slight  rise  of  ground,  almost  a 
heroic  figure. 

Chunky 's  shirt  was  entirely  missing,  his  skin 
red  from  the  heat,  ridged  with  scratches  where 
he  had  come  in  violent  contact  with  cactus  plants, 
his  hair  tousled  and  gray  with  dust. 

"Well  you  are  a  sight,"  grinned  Tad. 

"You  wouldn't  take  a  prize  at  a  baby  show 
yourself,"  retorted  Stacy,  spicily. 

Tad's  clothes  were  torn,  and  his  limbs  were 
black  and  blue  all  the  way  down  where  the  hoofs 
of  the  broncho  had  raked  them  again  and  again. 

"My  arms  feel  a  foot  longer  than  they  did. 
What  are  you  looking  at?" 

Stacy's  eyes  grew  large  and  luminous  as  he 
gazed  off  over  the  plains. 

"Look!    Look,  Tad!"  he  whispered. 


132         THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS/ 
CHAPTER   XIII 

FOLLOWING   A   HOT    TRAIL 

"T"^IRE!     Fire!"  cried  Professor  Zepplin, 

ri  leaping  up  from  where  he  had  been 
leaning  over,  watching  the  water  bub- 
bling in  the  bottom  of  the  excavation  they  had 
.made. 

The  guide  had  been  hanging  over  the  hole,  dip- 
ping water  to  Ned,  who  was  turning  it  into  the 
water-bags. 

"Where.^  where?"  demanded  Mr.  Kringle  ex- 
plosively. He  also  sprang  to  his  feet.  "It's  a 
prarie  fire!" 

"The  boys  are  caught.  They'll  perish!"  ex- 
claimed Professor  Zepplin,  with  blanching  face. 
"Go  to  them,  go  to  them,  Mr.  Kringle!"  he 
begged. 

"No  living  thing  could  get  through  that  wall 
of  fire,  Professor,"  announced  the  guide  impres- 
sively. "We'll  shout  and  perhaps,  if  alive, 
they'll  hear  us." 

They  did  so,  with  the  result  already  known. 

"Which  direction  did  Master  Stacy  take?" 
Mr.  Kringle  asked. 

"I  saw  him  riding  down  that  way,"  replied 
.Walter,  pointing  excitedly. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  133 

"Then,  perhaps  he  is  safe  outside  of  the  fire 
zone.  Some  of  you  hurry  back  to  the  camp. 
The  stock  may  take  fright  and  st  impede.  No, 
we'll  all  go.  The  wind  may  shift  at  any  mo- 
ment, and  while  I  do  not  think  the  flames  could 
reach  the  camp,  all  our  animals  might  be  suffo- 
cated, even  if  they  did  not  succeed  in  getting 
away." 

"But  you're  not  going  to  desert  Tad  and 
Chunky,  are  you?"  demanded  Walter  indig- 
nantly. 

"Certainly  not.  What  can  we  do  here?  We 
must  get  the  ponies  first;  then  we'll  hurry  to 
them.  I'm  afraid  they've  been  caught,"  an* 
swered  the  guide. 

"If  there's  any  way  of  escape  you  may  de- 
pend upon  it  that  Master  Tad  has  discovered 
that  way,"  answered  the  Professor.  "He  is  a 
resourceful  boy,  and " 

But  the  rest  were  already  dashing  madly  to- 
ward the  camp  and  Professor  Zepplin  began  to 
do  so  with  all  speed  to  catch  up  with  them.  The 
hot  breath  of  the  prairie  fire  had  brought  the 
color  to  his  blanched  cheeks. 

"How — how  do  you  think  the  fire  started?" 
stammered  the  Professor,  when  he  at  last  came 
up  with  the  guide. 

"It  was  set  afire,"  answered  Kris  Kringle 
grimly. 


134         THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

"Set!"  shouted  the  Professor  and  the  tuna 
boys  all  in  one  breath. 

"Yes." 

"By  whom?" 

"That  remains  to  be  se«n." 

"Do  you  mean  that  one  of  the  boys  was  im- 
prudent enough  to  build  a  fire  in  that  grass? 
Surely  they  would  not  have  been  so  foolish  as 
to  do  a  thing  like  that." 

"As  I  said,  that  remains  to  be  seen.  The 
first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  get  to  them  as  quickly 
as  possible,  though  I  ion't  know  that  we  can 
do  any  good.  They're  either  out  of  it,  by  this 
time,  or  else  they're  not,"  added  Mr.  Kringle 
suggestively.  "Professor,  I  wish  you  and  one  of 
the  boys  would  get  out  your  rifles,  mount  your 
ponies  and  watch  the  camp,  while  two  of  us  go  in 
search  of  the  lost  ones." 

"Watch  the  camp?" 

"Yes." 

"For  what  reason?" 

"Merely  as  a  precaution/' 

"I'll  attend  to  that.  I  want  all  of  you  to  get 
after  Tad  and  Stacy.  We  don't  care  about  the 
camp  particularly,  when  compared  with  two 
human  lives." 

The  smoke  was  rolling  over  them  in  such 
dense  clouds  that  the  camp  was  wholly  obscured 
ifrom  view  until  they  were  upon  it. 


IN   NEW  MEXICO  135 

"Quick!  Get  the  horses  before  they  break 
away!"  commanded  the  guide. 

"I  can't  find  them!"  shouted  Ned,  who  had 
bounded  on  ahead  and  disappeared  in  the  great 
suffocating  cloud. 

"Walter  was  only  a  few  steps  behind  him,  both 
boys  groping,  blinking  and  coughing  as  the 
smoke  got  into  eyes  and  lungs. 

"Lie  down  when  it  gets  stronger  than  yon 
ean  stand.  There's  always  a  current  of  fresh 
air  near  the  ground,"  called  the  guide. 

Both  lads  adopted  his  suggestion  instantly, 
and  they  were  none  too  soon,  for  already  they 
were  getting  dizzy.  After  a  few  long  breaths, 
they  were  up,  groping  about  once  more  in  search 
of  the  stock. 

"Over  to  you--  right,"  called  the  Professor. 

"We've  been  there.  They're  not  there  at 
all,"  answered  Ned. 

By  this  time  the  guide  had  dived  into  the 
cloud. 

"The  stock  has  gone,"  they  heard  him  shout. 

"Have  they  stampeded?"  roared  the  Profes- 
sor. 

"I  don't  know.    I'll  find  out  in  a  minute." 

"Queer  that  this  smoke  blows  two  ways  at 
once,"  said  Walter. 

"There  is  a  slight  breeze  blowing  this  way," 
explained  Ned-    "Not  enough,  however,  to  turn 


136         THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

the  fire  back.    It  has  got  too  good  a  start." 

Suddenly  a  weird  "c-o-o-e-e"  sounded  to  the 
right  of  them. 

"What's  that!" 

"It's  the  guide,  Walt.  He's  trying  to  call 
the  boys,  to  see  if  they  are  alive,"  explained 
Ned. 

"I  don't  think  so.  That  cry  is  for  some  other 
purpose.  I'm  going  over  where  he  is  to  find 
out  what  it  does  mean.    Come  on." 

Together  the  lads  ran  as  fast  as  they  could 
in  the  direction  from  which  the  guide's  voice 
had  come. 

They  found  him  with  hands  shaped  into  a 
megaphone,  uttering  his  shrill  cries.  He  made 
no  answer  to  their  questions  as  to  what  he  was 
trying  to  do. 

All  at  once  off  in  the  cloud  they  heard  rapid 
hoofbeats.  The  boys  glanced  at  each  other  in 
surprise. 

"It's  the  ponies  returning,"  breathed  Walter 
Perkins. 

Ned  shook  his  head. 

The  cries  now  took  on  a  more  insistent  tone, 
and  a  moment  later  two  ponies  came  whinnying 
into  the  camp,  snorting  with  fear.  Kris  Krin- 
gle  spoke  to  them  sharply,  whereupon  they  came 
trotting  up  to  him  with  every  evidence  of 
pleasure. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  137 

The  lads  were  amazed. 

"Can  you  boys  shoot  a  rope?" 

"Yes,"  they  answered  together. 

"Which  one  is  the  better  at  it?" 

"Ned  is  more  expert  than  I  am." 

"Take  one  of  my  ponies.  We've  got  to  go 
after  the  stock.  Eope  and  bring  them  in  as  fast 
as  possible.  It 's  getting  late,  and  it  will  be  dark 
before  we  know  it.  There's  not  more  than  two 
hours  of  daylight  left." 

"I  can  take  my  pony  and  help,"  began  Wal- 
ter. 

"You  haven't  any  pony.    They're  all  gone." 

Ned  and  the  guide  dashed  from  the  camp  at 
break-neck  speed.  Emerging  from  the  dust 
cloud  they  saw  some  of  the  stock  far  off  on  the 
plain. 

"There  they  are!"  cried  Ned 

"Thank  goodness,  they're  all  together.  And 
they  are  not  running.  We've  got  them 
bunched." 

"Were  they  afraid  of  the  smoke!  What  made 
them  break  away?" 

"They  didn't  break  away." 

"What?" 

"Their  tethers  were  cut  and  they  were  sent 
adrift,"  answered  the  guide  grimly. 

Ned  was  speechless  with  surprise. 

Some  of  the  ponies,  objecting  to  being  roped. 


133         THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

ran  away,  necessitating  a  lively  chase.  Krii 
Kringle  worked  with  the  precision  of  an  au- 
tomatic gun  and  with  proportionate  speed.  In 
half  an  hour  they  had  roped  all  the  ponies,  and, 
with  the  burros  trailing  along  behind,  started 
back  to  camp  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

A  heavy  pall  of  smoke  still  hung  over  the 
camp  and  all  the  surrounding  country. 

Once  more  they  staked  down  the  ponies  and 
pack  animals,  and  urging  vigilance  on  the  part 
of  Professor  Zepplin,  Ned  and  the  guide  dashed 
away  at  full  gallop  in  search  of  the  two  missing 
lads. 

"Are  we  going  through  the  fire! "  questioned 
Ned  apprehensively. 

" "We're  going  to  try  it.  The  worst  of  it  must 
have  passed  before  this,  but  we  may  have  to  turn 
back  or  turn  out  for  spots.  It's  the  shortest 
way,  and  the  only  course  to  follow  if  we  want 
to  know  what  has  become  of  them."        . 

Spreading  out  a  little  they  continued  on  their 
way,  the  ponies  snorting,  threatening  to  whirl 
about  and  race  back  into  the  open  plain.  The 
ground  was  like  a  furnace  and  the  grass  smoul- 
dered beneath  thern,  heating  their  feet  and 
singeing  their  fetlocks. 

Suddenly  Ned's  pony  reared  into  the  air, 
bucked  and  hurled  its  rider  far  over  into  the 
smouldering  bunch  grass. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  139 

Ned  uttered  a  yell  of  warning  as  he  felt  him- 
self going. 

The  guide  wheeled  like  a  flash.  Ned's  mount 
had  whirled  and  was  away  like  a  shot.  But  the 
guide  was  after  him  with  even  greater  speed. 
The  chase  came  to  an  abrupt  ending  some  few 
rods  farther  on,  when  Kris  Kringle's  lariat 
squirmed  out,  bringing  the  fleeing  pony  to  the 
ground  with  its  nose  in  the  hot  dust. 

"Without  dismounting,  the  guide  turned  Ms 
own  mount,  and  fairly  dragging  the  unwilling 
pony  behind  him,  pounded  back  to  the  place 
where  Ned  had  been  unhorsed. 

"Grab  him!"  commanded  the  guide  to  Nec^ 
who  had  quickly  scrambled  to  his  feet.  "What 
was  it  that  he  saw?" 

"I  don't  know.  Guess  he  made  up  bis  mind 
to  go  back." 

"No;  he  saw  something.  Hang  on  to  hffli 
and  cover  the  ground  all  about  you  tiH  yen  find 
it." 

"Wha— what  do  you 1° 

"Never  mind.    Look!" 

"Here!    Here  it  is!"  cried  Ned  aghast* 

The  guide  was  at  his  side  instantly. 

"It's  a  pony,"  gasped  the  Pony  Rider  DOjt 

Kris  Kringle  was  off  his  own  mount  instantly^ 
and  bidding  Ned  hold  the  animal,  he  made  $ 
brief  examination  of  the  fallen  horse,   aftei 


140         THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

wliicli  he  darted  here  and  there,  unheeding  the 
fact  that  the  still  burning  grass  was  blistering 
his  feet  through  the  heavy  soles  of  his  boots. 

For  several  rods  Kringle  ran  along  the  faint 
trail  that  Tad  and  Stacy  had  left,  or  rather,  that 
the  fire  had  left  after  passing  over  it. 

"They  beat  their  way  out  here.  "We  may  find 
them  later.    Come  on ! " 

Again  Ned  and  the  guide  dashed  away,  both 
keeping  their  gaze  on  the  smoking  prairie  about 
them.  The  smoke  now  was  almost  more  than 
they  could  bear. 

"Do — do  you  think  they  are  alive V  asked 
Ned  unsteadily. 

"So  far.  If  they  are  not,  it's  not  their  fault. 
The  Professor  is  right.  Those  boys  have  pluck 
enough  to  pull  them  through,  but  sometimes 
pluck  alone  will  not  do  it.  A  prairie  fire  is  no 
respecter  of  pluck.' " 

They  burst  out  into  an  open  space.  There 
were  no  signs  of  either  of  the  missing  boys. 

"Something  has  happened  to  them.  We  must 
have  missed  them,"  announced  the  guide. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  141 

CHAPTER  XIV 

AGAINST  BIG   ODDS 

**W  7  HAT  is  **»  c^ky'" 

YY  "There!'7 

Tad  jerked  his  companion  flat  on 
the  ground,  flattening  himself  beside  Stacy  at 
the  same  instant. 

What  had  caused  their  sudden  alarm  was  the 
sight  of  two  Indians,  sitting  on  their  pon- 
ies without  saddles,  some  distance  out  on  the 
open  plain.  The  redskins  were  wrapped  in 
their  brightly  colored  blankets,  which  enveloped 
them  from  head  to  knees.  Even  the  hands  were 
invisible  beneath  the  folds  of  the  blankets. 

"D-d-do  you  think  they  saw  us,  Tad?" 

"I  don't  know.  It's  safe  to  say  they  did. 
Indian  eyes  don't  miss  very  much.  You  ought 
to  know  that,  by  this  time.  I  wish  we  could 
make  that  pony  lie  down." 

"Why  don't  you?" 

"He's  too  afraid  of  the  ground — thinks  it's 
still  hot,  and  I  don't  blame  him.  The  fire  has 
singed  him  pretty  well  as  it  is. 

The  Indians  sat  their  mounts  as  motionless 
as  statues,  the  ponies  headed  directly  toward 
where  the  two  lads  were  lying. 


142         THE  PONT  RIDER  BOYS 

"I'll  bet  they're  got  guns  tinder  those 
blankets,"  decided  Tad.  "Yon  can't  trust  an 
Indian  even  while  you  are  looking  at  him." 

"Anybody 'd  think  you'd  been  hunting  Indians 
all  your  life,"  growled  Stacy. 

"They've  been  hunting  me  mostly,"  grinned 
Tad. 

"And  usually  caught  you,"  added  Chunky. 

"I  don't  like  this  lying  here  as  if  we  were 
scared  of  them." 

"But,  what  else  can  we  do,  Tad?" 

"I  don't  know." 

"Neither  do  I.  "Wish  I  had  a  shirt  I'll 
spoil  my  complexion  clear  down  to  my  waist. 
Besides,  I'm  not  fit  to  be  seen." 

"You're  lucky  to  be  alive,"  growled  TacL 
"I'm  going  to  get  out  of  this." 

"How?" 

"Listen,  and  you'll  know.  I'm  going  to  get 
on  the  pony;  then,  as  soon  as  I'm  in  the  saddle, 
you  jump  up  behind  me  and  we'll  start  back 
to  camp." 

"Not — not  through  that  fire?"  protested 
Stacy. 

"No;  I  don't  dare  try  it.  I'm  afraid  we'd 
get  lost  in  the  smoke  and  perhaps  get  burned 
as  well.  We'll  ride  out  some  distance,  then 
turn  to  the  left  and  try  to  go  around  the  burned 
district  *' 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  143 

"What  if  the  Indians  chase  us?" 

"I  don't  believe  they  will.  They'll  hardly 
dare  do  that.  And,  besides,  these  may  be 
friendly  Indians.' ' 

"Huh!"  grunted  Stacy.    "They  look  it." 

Tad  got  up  boldly,  and  without  even  looking 
toward  the  silent  red  men,  began  fussing  about 
his  saddle,  cinching  the  girths,  and  straighten- 
ing the  saddle.  His  last  act  before  mounting 
was  to  see  that  the  coils  of  his  lariat  were  in 
order. 

"All  right,"  announced  the  lad,  vaulting  into 
the  saddle. 

Stacy  scrambled  up  behind  him  without  loss 
of  time,  and  they  rode  out  into  the  open,  the  fat 
boy  peering  apprehensively  over  his  compan- 
ion's shoulder. 

"You  keep  watch  of  them,  Chunky,  but  dont 
let  them  see  you  doing  it,  I  won't  look  at  them 
at  all.  We  don't  want  them  to  think  we're 
afraid." 

Stacy  fidgeted. 

"You  bet  I'll  watch  'em.  Wish  I  had  my 
rifle." 

"I  don't." 

"Huh!" 

"You  have  distinguished  yourself  quite 
enough  with  that  rifle  as  it  is.  We  don't  want 
#ny  more  of  your  fancy  shooting." 


144         THE   PONY  EIDEE   BOYS 

"There  they  go,"  warned  Stacy. 

"I  see  them."  Tad  had  been  cautiously  ob- 
serving the  horsemen  out  of  the  corners  of  his 
eyes.  "Moving  in  the  same  direction  we  are* 
I  don't  like  the  looks  of  it.  Still,  if  they  don't 
get  any  nearer  we  may  be  thankful." 

The  pony  carrying  the  boys  was  walking 
easily,  and  the  mounts  of  the  Indians  were  do- 
ing the  same. 

"Jog  a  little,"  suggested  Stacy. 

"That's  a  good  idea.  It  will  tell  us  quickly 
whether  they  are  trying  to  keep  up  with  us," 

He  touched  the  pony  lightly  with  his  spurs. 
The  little  animal  switched  its  tail,  for  its  sides 
were  tender,  and  started  off. 

"There  they  go,  Tad !  Jogging  the  same  gait 
as  ours!" 

Tad's  face  took  on  the  stubborn  look  it  al- 
ways wore  when  he  had  determined  upon  a  cer- 
tain course  of  action. 

"I'll  beat  them  yet,  even  if  there  are  only  two 
of  them.  I  wish  there  weren't  two  of  us  on  this 
Hag." 

"I'll  get  off  and  walk,"  suggested  Stacy. 

"You'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort.  That  would 
be  a  nice  thing  to  do,  wouldn't  it?  They'd 
round  you  up  quicker  'n  they  could  a  lame 
burro." 

"Say,  Tad." 


IN  NEW  MEXICO,  145 

♦'What?" 

«pVe  got  an  idea.''* 

"What  is  it?" 

"You  know  that  sage  hen  we  hadtn 

"Yes,  what's  that  got  to  do  with  our  present 
predicament?" 

"I  was  -wondering  why;  there  aren't  any  sage 
roosters?" 

"You'll  be  a  sage  rooster,  with  your  head  ofl^ 
first  thing  you  know,"  snapped  Tad  in  disgust 
" Can't  you  be  serious  for  a  minute!  Don't  yoil 
see  we  are  in  a  fix?"  . 

"Uh-huh!" 

"There,  that  fellow  is  trying  to  head  us  ofif.w 

One  of  the  Indians  had  shot  away  from  hifr 
Companion,  running  obliquely  toward  the  point 
ifco  which  Tad  was  headed. 

The  red  man  had  gotten  quite  a  start  before 
the  boys  caught  the  significance  of  his  manceu* 
yre. 

Tad  dug  in  the  spurs. 

rAt  that  instant  the  fat  boy's  hands  had  been 
removed  from  Tad,  to  whose  body  they  had  been 
Clinging. 

The  pony  leaped  forward,  and  Stacy  slid 
Over  its  rump,  hitting  the  ground  with  a  jolt 
(that  jarred  him. 

"Wow!"  howled  Stacy. 

Tad,  instantly  divining  what  had  tappene^ 


146         THE   PONY   EIDER   BOYS 

pulted  up  sharply,  wheeled  and  raced  back  to 
Where  hie  companion  was  still  complaining 
loudly  and  rubbing  his  body. 

"Get  up!"  roared  Tad,  leaning  over  and 
grasping  Stacy  by  the  hair  of  his  head. 

The  fat  boy  was  jerked  sharply  to  his  feet. 

**Quick!    Quick,  climb  up  here!" 

With  the  help  of  his  companion,  the  lad 
•CramMed  up  behind  Tad  again,  muttering  and 
robbing  himself. 

By  this  time  the  leading  horseman  had  wholly 
outdistanced  them,  and  his  pony  was  now  loping 
along  easily,  while  the  second  Indian  appeared 
to  be  riding  directly  toward  them,  at  right  angles 
to  the  direction  in  which  they  were  traveling. 

All  at  once  the  two  Indians  began  riding  about 
Che  boys  in  a  circle,  uttering  short  little  "yips," 
Intended  to  terrify  the  lads,  but  not  loud  enough 
to  be  heard  any  great  distance  away. 

"Hang  on!  We're  going  to  ride  for  keeps 
now!"  warned  Tad. 

The  fat  boy  threw  both  arms  about  his  com- 
panion's waist  as  the  pony  let  out  into  a  swift 
run.  At  first  Tad  thought  he  had  gotten  safely 
(tat  of  the  circle,  only  to  discover  that  they  had 
Beaded  him  again. 

The  circle  was  narrowing,  and  the  Indians 
were  gradually  drawing  in  on  them. 

Btacy's  eyes  were  growing  larger  every  min- 


""•^s*    /* 


Jkas 


'Hang  On!     We're  Going  to  Ride  fo*  Keeps  Nowt" 


1*7 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  149 

nte,  perhaps  more  from  astonishment  than  from 
fear.  Then,  too,  he  could  not  but  admire  the 
riding  of  their  pursuers.  Even  the  blankets  of 
the  Indians  appeared  not  to  be  disturbed  in  the 
least  by  their  rapid  riding,  the  horsemen  sitting 
a  little  sideways  on  the  ponies'  backs,  the  reins 
bunched  loosely  in  their  left  hands. 

"They've  got  us,  Tad." 

"They  shan't  get  us!"  retorted  Tad  stub- 
bornly. "If  they  don't  use  their  guns — and  I 
don't  believe  they  will — we'll  beat  them  yet." 

If  Stacy  was  doubtful  he  did  not  say  so. 

"If  they  get  close  to  us,  you  be  ready  to  let 
go  of  me  when  I  give  the  word,"  cautioned  Tad. 

"What  for?    What  you  going  to  do?" 

"I  don't  know  yet.  That  depends  upon  cir- 
cumstances. I'm  not  going  to  let  them  have  it 
all  their  own  way  while  I've  got  a  pony  under 
me.  We  may  get  help  any  minute,  too,  so  the 
longer  we  can  put  off  a  clash  the  better  it  will 
be  for  us." 

"Who  you  mean — Santa  Claus?" 

"Yes." 

"They're  closing  in  now,"  said  Stacy. 

"Take  your  hands  away  from  my  waist." 

"But  I'll  fall  off,  Tad." 

"Slip  one  hand  through  under  my  belt  and 
take  hold  of  the  cantle  with  the  other.  Sit  as 
low  as  you  can  so  as  not  to  get  in  my  way." 


150         THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

Stacy  obeyed  bis  companion's  directions  with- 
out furtber  comment,  but  be  was  all  curiosity 
to  know  wbat  was  going  to  happen  next. 

The  Indians  were  drawing  nearer  every  sec- 
ond now.  The  boys  could  see  the  expressions 
on  their  evil  faces,  intensified  by  the  streaks  of 
yellow  and  red  paint. 

"They  look  as  though  they'd  stuck  their  beads 
in  a  paint  pail,"  was  Chunky 's  muttered  com- 
ment. 

The  blankets  fell  away  from  the  racing  sav- 
ages, flapped  on  the  rumps  of  the  bobbing  pon- 
ies for  a  few  seconds  and  then  slipped  to  the 
ground. 

A  rifle  was  reposing  in  each  man's  holster,  as 
Tad  observed  instantly.  He  was  thankful  to 
note  that  the  guns  were  not  in  the  hands  of  the 
Indians. 

The  lad's  right  hand  had  dropped  carelessly 
to  the  saddle  horn,  the  fingers  cautiously  gath- 
ering in  the  coils  of  the  lariat  that  bung  there. 
The  red  men  did  not  appear  to  have  observed 
his  act. 

"Lie  low!"  commanded  Tad,  scarcely  above  a 
whisper. 

Stacy  settled  down  slowly  so  as  not  to  attract 
attention. 

One  horseman  shot  directly  across  Tad's 
course,  striking  the  lad's  pony  full  in  the  face 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  151 

as  he  did  do,  and  causing  the  animal  to  brace 
himself  so  suddenly  as  to  nearly  unseat  both 
boys. 

Tad's  rope  was  in  the  air  in  a  twinkling. 

A  warning  shout  from  the  second  Indian,  who 
was  just  to  the  rear  of  them,  came  too  late.  The 
rope  shot  true  to  its  mark  and  the  first  savage, 
with  back  half-turned,  had  failed  to  observe  it 
coming. 

The  great  loop  dropped  over  his  head.  The 
pony  braced  itself  and  Tad  took  a  quick  turn 
of  the  rope  about  the  pommel  of  his  saddle. 

The  result  was  instantaneous.  The  Indian  was 
catapulted  from  his  saddle  with  arms  pinioned 
to  his  side. 

"Ye-ow!"  howled  Chunky,  unable  to  restrain 
his  enthusiasm. 

Tad  did  not  even  hear  him. 

"Look  out!  Here  comes  the  other  oner' 
warned  the  fat  boy. 

But  Tad  was  too  busily  engaged  in  keeping 
the  line  taut  about  the  roped  Indian.  The  fel- 
low was  struggling  on  the  ground,  fighting  to 
free  himself,  while  the  boy  with  the  rope  was 
manoeuvring  his  pony  in  a  series  of  lightning- 
like movements  that  made  the  fat  boy's  head 
swim. 

"Take  care  of  him,  Chunky!  I  can't,'* 
gasped  Tad. 


152         THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

Stacy's  eyes  took  on  a  belligerent  expression 
as  the  second  savage  bore  down  upon  them,  with 
knees  gripped  tightly  against  the  side  of  his 
pony,  half  raising  himself  above  the  animal's 
back,  reins  dropped  on  the  pony's  neck.  The 
Indian  was  guiding  his  mount  by  the  pressure  of 
legs  and  knees  alone. 

The  angry  redskin  was  making  futile  attempts 
to  get  into  a  position  where  he  might  grab  the 
active  Tad.  He  did  not  seem  to  take  into  ac- 
count the  cringing  figure  behind  the  boy  who 
had  roped  the  other  Indian. 

All  at  once,  at  the  opportune  moment,  his 
pony  forging  ahead,  the  Indian's  hand  shot  out. 
The  red,  bony  fingers  were  closing  upon  Tad 
Butler's  right  shoulder,  when  all  at  once  some- 
thing happened. 

The  cringing  fat  boy  rose.  The  right  hand 
that  had  been  clinging  to  the  cantle  was  launched 
out.  His  body,  thrown  forward  at  the  same 
time,  lent  the  blow  added  force. 

Chunky 's  fist  came  into  violent  contact  with 
the  Indian's  jaw.  Mr.  Redman  disappeared 
from  the  back  of  his  pony  so  quickly  that,  for  a 
second,  Stacy  could  scarcely  believe  his  eyes. 

"Y-e-o-w!  W-o-w!"  howled  the  fat  boy. 
"Beat  it  for  the  tall  grass,  Tad!" 

A  quick  glance  behind  him,  revealed  the  true 
state  of  affairs  to  Tad  Butler.    He  dug  in  the 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  153 

Spurs,  clinging  to  the  lariat  for  a  few  feet,  then 
suddenly  releasing  it,  as  the  pony  leaped  away 
under  the  stinging  pressure  of  the  spurs. 

"Duck!     Duck!     They're  going  to  shoot  I" 
shouted  Tad. 

CHAPTER  XV; 

HIT  BY  A  DRY  STORM 


T 


*«>"TpHERE  it  goes!    Lower,  Chunky!" 

A  rifle  had  crashed  somewhere  to  the 
left  of  them. 

Stacy's  curiosity  getting  the  better  of  him, 
he  had  twisted  his  body  around,  and  was  peering 
back;  but  he  was  bobbing  up  and  down  so  fast 
that  he  found  it  difficult  to  fix  his  eyes  on  any 
one  point  long  enough  to  distinguish  what  that 
object  was. 

*  'Look !  Look ! ' '  he  cried,  when  in  a  long  rise 
of  the  pony  his  eyes  had  caught  something 
definite. 

The  roped  Indian  was  running  for  his  pony, 
which  he  caught,  leaping  to  its  back  and  dash- 
ing away  madly. 

"Hold  up!  Hold  up!  There's  something 
doing,"  shouted  the  fat  boy. 

Tad  swerved  a  little,  turning  to  his  left 
Rifles  were  banging,  and  the  dust  was  spurting 
up  under  the  feet  of  the  savage's  racing  pony. 


154         THE   PONY  KIDEK   BOYS 

By  this  time,  the  second  Indian  had  recovered 
from  the  blow  that  Stacy  had  landed  on  his  jaw, 
and  he  too  was  in  his  saddle  in  a  twinkling,  tear- 
ing madly  cross  the  plain. 

Stacy  Brown  uttered  a  series  of  wild  whoops 
and  yells.  He  knew  their  assailants  were  run- 
ning and  that  some  one  was  shooting  at  the  In- 
dians, but  who  it  was  the  fat  boy  could  only 
guess. 

Two  ponies  suddenly  dashed  out  from  the  low- 
lying  smoke  cloud.  One  of  their  riders  was 
swinging  his  sombrero  and  cheering;  the  other 
was  firing  his  rifle  after  the  fleeing  savages. 

4 'Hooray,  it's  Santa  Claus,"  howled  Stacy, 
fairly  beside  himself  with  excitement.  Even 
Tad  caught  something  of  his  companion's 
spirit  of  enthusiasm.  He  swung  his  hand  and 
started  galloping  toward  the  two  horsemen. 

" Shoot  'em!    Kill  'em!"  howled  Chunky. 

But  Santa  Claus  merely  shook  his  head,  and 
after  refilling  the  magazine  of  his  rifle  slipped  it 
into  the  holster. 

"It  would  only  make  trouble  and  probably 
cause  an  uprising  if  I  did.  They  know  I  could 
have  winged  them  both  had  I  wanted  to,*?  hq 
grinned.    "Well,  you  boys  are  a  sight." 

"I — I  lost  my  shirt,"  interjected  Stacy. 

"And  I  suppose  you  fell  in,"  chuckled  Ned. 

"No;  I  fell  off." 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  153 

"We're  lucky  to  be  alive/ '  laughed  Tad. 

"You  are  that.  I  see  now  that  ProfessoB 
Zepplin  was  right  when  he  said  you  could  take 
care  of  yourself.  Never  saw  anything  quite  so 
slick  as  the  way  you  roped  that  redskin " 

"And — and  I  punched  the  other  one,"  glowed 
Chunky. 

"Did  you  see  us?"  questioned  Tad. 

"Yes,  we  saw  the  whole  proceeding.  But  yon 
were  so  mixed  up  that  we  couldn't  fire  without 
danger  of  hitting  one  of  you  boys.  Wonder 
what  those  Apaches  think  struck  them," 
laughed  the  guide.  "How  did  you  get  through 
the  fire?" 

Tail  explained  briefly,  at  the  same  time  ac- 
counting for  the  loss  of  Stacy's  shirt. 

"I  bet  that  the  fellow  with  the  canary-wing 
face  has  a  sore  jaw,"  bubbled  Stacy. 

"No  doubt  of  it,  Master  Stacy.  I  didn't  sup- 
pose you  had  such  a  punch  as  that  You're  a 
good  Indian  fighter," 

"Always  was,"  answered  the  fat  boy,  swell- 
ing with  importance. 

"Come,  we'll  have  to  hurry  back.  It  will  be 
dark  before  we  reach  camp,  as  it  is,  and  the  Pro- 
fessor will  be  worrying  about  you." 

They  turned  about,  and,  heading  across  the 
burned  area,  started  for  camp.  Fitful  blazes 
were  springing  up  here  and  there,  but  all  danger 


156         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

had,  by  this  time,  passed,  though  the  smoke  still 
hung  heavy  and  the  odor  of  burned  vegetation 
smote  the  nostrils  unpleasantly. 

Stacy  sniffed  the  air  suspiciously. 

"Tastes  like  a  drug  store  fire  I  smelled  once 
in  Chillicothe, "  he  averred. 

"I  haven't  made  up  my  mind,  yet,  how  that 
fire  started,  Mr.  Kringle,"  wondered  Tad. 

"I  have,"  replied  the  guide  tersely. 

"How?" 

"It  was  set  afire!" 

"By  whom?" 

"By  one  of  those  savages,  or  by  somebody 
who  was  with  them.  They  must  have  been 
watching  you  all  the  time.  Did  you  recognize 
either  of  them  as  the  fellow  you  knocked  down 
the  other  night?" 

"No;  I  don't  think  I  would  know  the  Indian. 
The  light  was  too  uncertain  at  the  fire  dance, 
and  then  again,  all  Indians  look  alike  to  me." 

"It  was  a  narrow  escape." 

"Do  you  think  they'll  come  back  again?" 
questioned  Ned. 

"I  doubt  it.  They  won't  if  they  recognized 
ime.  They  know  me.  They've  done  business 
with  me  before." 

Professor  Zepplin  and  Walter  were  overjoyed 
when  at  last  the  party  rode  into  camp  and  they 
learned  that  both  boys  were  safe.      The  lads 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  15? 

were  obliged  to  go  all  over  their  experiences 
again  for  the  benefit  of  the  Professor  and  Wal- 
ter. 

"It's  getting  worse  and  worse,"  decided  the 
Professor  helplessly.  "I  don't  know  where  all 
this  is  going  to  end.  I  thought  when  we  got  a 
new  guide — but  what's  the  use?  Do  you  think 
we  had  better  start  to-night,  Mr.  Kringle?" 

"No.     There  is  no  necessity." 

"What  am  I  going  to  do  for  a  pony?"  asked 
Chunky. 

"You  can  ride  one  of  mine.  I  always  take 
two  when  on  a  long  journey,"  replied  the  guide. 

Chunky 's  first  act  after  reaching  camp,  was 
to  provide  himself  with  a  shirt.  After  donning 
it,  he  announced  that  he  had  an  appetite  and 
wanted  to  know  when  they  were  going  to  have 
supper. 

"Why,  you  had  supper  hours  ago,"  scoffed 
Ned.    "Want  another  one  already?" 

"That  wasn't  supper,  that  was  four  o'clock 
tea.    Indian  fighters  must  have  real  food." 

"Stop  teasing.  We'll  give  the  'ittle  baby  his 
milk,"  returned  Ned. 

That  night  Kris  Kringle  remained  on  guard 
himself.  He  would  not  trust  the  guardianship 
of  the  camp  to  any  of  the  boys,  for  he  fully  ex- 
pected that  they  would  receive  a  visit  from  one 
Or  more  of  the  Indians,  though  he  did  not  tell 


158         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

the  others  bo.  But  nothing  occurred  to  disturb 
the  camp,  and  the  boys,  despite  their  trying  ex- 
periences, slept  soundly,  awakening  in  the 
morning  fresh  and  active,  ready  and  anxious  for 
any  further  adventures. 

The  party  set  out  shortly  after  sunrise,  and 
traveled  all  day  across  the  uneven  plains,  across 
short  mountain  ranges,  through  deep  gorges 
and  rugged  foothills. 

Crossing  an  open  space  the  guide  espied  a 
bottle  glistening  in  the  sunlight. 

"There's  a  bottle/'  pointed  the  guide.  "Want 
ft?" 

Stacy  glanced  at  it  indifferently. 

"What  do  I  want  of  a  bottle?" 

"Then  I'll  take  it,"  decided  the  guide,  dis- 
mounting and  stowing  the  abandoned  piece  of 
glass  in  his  saddle  bags. 

"Bottles  are  good  for  only  two  things." 

"And  what  are  they,  Master  Stacy?"  ques- 
tioned the  Professor. 

"To  keep  things  in  and  to  shoot  at,"  replied 
the  fat  boy,  wisely. 

Everybody  laughed  at  that. 

"I  guess  that  embodies  everything  you  can 
say  about  bottles,"  smiled  the  Professor.  "Your 
logic,  at  times,  young  man,  is  unassailable." 

Chunky  nodded.  He  had  a  faint  idea  of  what 
Professor  Zepplin  meant. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  159 

Late  that  afternoon  the  travelers  came  upon 
a  shack  in  the  foothills,  where  an  old  rancher, 
a  hermit,  lived  when  not  tending  his  little  flock 
of  sheep,  most  of  which.  Kris  Kringle  said,  the 
old  man  had  stolen  from  droves  that  came  up 
over  the  trail  going  north. 

He  was  an  interesting  old  character,  this 
hermit,  and  the  boys  decided  that  they  would 
like  to  make  camp  and  have  him  take  supper 
with  them.  This  the  Professor  and  the  guide 
readily  agreed  to,  for  everyone  was  hot  and 
dusty  and  the  bronchos  were  nervous  and  ill- 
natured. 

The  boys  found  the  old  rancher  talkative 
enough  on  all  subjects  save  himself.  When 
Chunky  asked  him  where  he  came  from,  and 
what  for,  the  old  man's  face  flushed  angrily. 

At  the  first  opportunity  the  guide  took  the 
fat  boy  aside  for  some  fatherly  advice. 

"In  this  country  it  isn't  good  policy  to  be  too 
curious  about  a  man's  family  affairs.  He's 
likely  to  resent  it  in  a  way  you  won't  like.  Most 
fellows  out  here  have  reasons  for  being  out  of 
the  world,  beyond  what's  apparent  on  the 
surface." 

Chunky  heeded  the  advice  and  asked  no  more 
personal  questions  for  the  next  hour,  though  he 
did  forget  himself  before  the  evening  was  ended. 

"You  seem  to  be  having  pretty  dry  weather 


160        THE  PONY  KIDEK  BOYS 

down  here/'  said  the  Professor,  by  way  of  start- 
ing the  old  man  to  talking. 

"Yep.  Haven't  had  any  rain  in  this  belt  fer 
the  last  two  years." 

"Two  years!"  exclaimed  the  boys. 

"Yep.  Had  a  few  light  dews,  but  that's  all," 
replied  the  hermit. 

"Looks  to  me  as  if  yon  were  going  to  get  some 
to-night,"  announced  Tad. 

"Reckon  not." 

"Then  I'm  no  judge  of  weather." 

Even  as  Tad  spoke  there  was  a  low  muttering 
of  thunder,  and  the  far  lightning  flashed  pale 
and  green,  and  rose  on  the  long  horizon  to  the 
southwest. 

Kris  Kringle  heard  the  far  away  growl. 
Springing  up,  he  began  staking  down  the  tents. 

"That's  a  good  idea.  We  lost  our  whole  out- 
fit on  our  last  trip.  Think  they'll  stand  a 
blow?" 

"I  guess  they  will  when  I  get  through  with 
them.    Have  we  any  more  stakes  in  camp?" 

"There  should  be  some  in  the  kit." 

Tad  searched  until  he  found  several  more 
stakes,  and  with  these  and  the  emergency  ropes, 
they  made  the  tents  secure. 

By  the  time  they  had  done  so,  the  heavens 
had  grown  black  and  menacing.  They  could  see 
the  storm  sweeping  down  on  them.    It  was  a 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  161 

magnificent  sight,  and  the  lads  were  so  lost  in 
observing  its  grandeur  that  they  forgot  to  feel 
any  alarm. 

A  cloud  of  dust  accompanied  the  advance 
guard  of  the  storm. 

"Beckon  there  ain't  any  rain  in  them  clouds, " 
commented  the  old  man.  "There's  plenty  of 
the  other  thing,  though." 

"What's  the  other  thing?"  questioned 
Chunky. 

"Lightning." 

Even  as  he  spoke  a  bolt  descended  right  in 
the  center  of  the  camp,  tearing  a  hole  in  the 
earth  and  hurling  a  cloud  of  dirt  and  dust  many 
feet  up  into  the  air. 

The  force  of  the  explosion  knocked  some  of 
the  party  flat. 

Chunky  picked  himself  up  and  carefully 
brushed  his  clothes;  then,  solemnly  walked  out 
and  sat  down  on  the  spot  where  the  lightning 
had  struck. 

"Here,  here!  What  are  you  doing  out  there!" 
demanded  the  guide. 

"Sitting  on  the  lightning." 

"You  come  in  here!    And  quick,  at  that!3' 

"Huh!  Guess  I  know  what  I'm  doing. 
Lightning  never  strikes  twice  in  the  same  place. 
I'm » 

By  this  time  Kris  Kringle  had  the  fat  boy 


162         THE   PONY   RIDER   BOYS 

by  the  collar,  hustling  him  to  the  protection  of 
one  of  the  tents. 

No  sooner  had  they  reached  it  than  a  crash 
that  seemed  as  if  it  had  split  the  earth  wide 
open  descended  upon  them.  Balls  of  fire  shot 
off  in  every  direction.  One  went  right  through 
the  tent  where  they  were  huddled,  hurling  the 
Pony  Eider  Boys  in  a  heap. 

They  scrambled  up  calling  to  each  other  ner- 
Tously. 

The  shock  had  extinguished  the  lantern  that 
hung  in  the  tent.  The  guide  relighted  it,  and, 
stepping  outside  to  see  what  had  happened, 
pointed  to  the  place  where  Chunky  had  been 
sitting  but  a  few  minutes  before. 

The  bolt  had  struck  in  the  identical  spot  where 
the  previous  one  had  landed. 

"Now,  young  man,  there's  an  object  lesson 
for  you,"  Mr.  Kringle  said,  with  a  grim  smile. 

"And  there's  another!"  replied  Chunky, 
pointing  to  the  outside  of  the  tent. 

There  lay  the  old  rancher,  whose  absence  they 
had  not  noted.  He  had  been  in  the  tent  with 
them  when  they  last  saw  him  and  how  he  had 
gotten  out  there  none  knew.  The  rancher  had 
been  stripped  of  every  vestige  of  clothing  by  the 
freaky  lightning. 

"He's  dead,"  crooned  Stacy  solemnly. 

"Get  water,   quick  1     He's   been   struck  by 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  163 

lightning !"  commanded  the  guide,  making  sys- 
tematic efforts  to  bring  the  old  man  back  to 
consciousness. 

Stacy  ran  for  the  water-bags. 

"I  am  afraid  it  is  useless,  Mr.  Kringle," 
warned  the  Professor,  failing  to  find  a  pulse. 
The  boys  were  standing  about  fanning  the  vic- 
tim, having  one  by  one  dumped  the  contents  of 
their  canteens  in  his  face. 

Stacy  returned  with  a  water-bag  after  a 
little. 

"I— I — I've  got  an  idea,"  he  exploded,  as  with 
eyes  wide  open  he  attempted  to  tell  them  some- 
thing. 

"Keep  still.  We've  got  something  else  to  do 
besides  listening  to  your  foolishness,"  chided 
Ned. 

"Chunky,  we're  trying  to  save  this  man's  life. 
Give  me  that  bag,"  commanded  Tad. 

The  two  older  men  were  working  desperately 
on  the  patient  Stacy  stood  around,  fidgeting 
a  little,  but  making  no  further  attempt  to  en- 
lighten them  as  to  what  his  new  idea  was. 

Afer  a  time  the  rancher  began  to  show  signs 
of  recovering.  He  gasped  a  few  times  then 
opened  his  eyes. 

"What  kicked  me?"  he  asked,  with  a  half- 
grin. 

They  could  all  afford  to  laugh  now,  and  they 


164         THE   PONY   EIDER   BOYS 

did.  The  rancher  refnsed  their  offer  of  clothes^ 
saying  he  had  another  suit  in  his  shack. 

"That's  twice  the  stuff  has  knocked  me  out. 
Next  time  it'll  git  me  for  keeps,"  he  said. 

'"Does  it  strike  here  very  often?"  questioned 
the  Professor. 

"Alius." 

' i  Then,  there  must  be  some  mineral  substance 
in  the  soil." 

"No,  ain't  nothing  like  that.  Jest  contrari- 
ness that's  all.  Hit  my  shack  once,  and  'cause 
'twas  raining,  bored  holes  in  the  roof  so  the  place 
got  all  wet  inside."  , 

"But  it  isn't  raining  now.  Doesn't  it  usu- 
ally rain  when  you  have  a  thunder  storm  here?" 
asked  the  Professor. 

"No.  Ain't  had  no  rain  in  nigh  onto  two 
year, ' '  the  hermit  reiterated. 

"You'd  better  go  and  put  on  some  clothes," 
suggested  Kris  Kringle. 

"Guess  that's  right." 

The  old  man  seemed  to  have  forgotten  his 
condition.  The  others  had  wrapped  a  blanket 
around  him,  which  seemed  to  satisfy  his  demand 
for  clothes.  Gathering  up  the  blanket  he 
strolled  leisurely  toward  his  cabin,  undisturbed 
by  his  recent  experience. 

"Nothing  like  getting  used  to  it,"  chucklecl 
Stacy. 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  165 

"Hello,  now  we'll  hear  what  your  new  idea 
is,  Chunky  ?"  jeered  Ned. 

"Yes,  what  is  it?"  urged  Tad. 

" Nothing  much." 

"Never  is,"  cut  in  Walter  Perkins,  a  little 
maliciously. 

"I — I  got  an  idea  the  ponies  tried  to  kick  holes 
in  the  lightning." 

Everybody  laughed  loudly.  They  could  well 
afford  to  laugh,  now  that  the  danger  had  passed. 

"What  makes  you  think  that!"  asked  the 
guide,  eyeing  him  sharply. 

"  'Cause  they're  dead!'* 

"What ! ' '  shouted  the  boys. 

All  hands  dashed  from  the  tent,  Stacy  regard- 
ing them  with  soulful  eyes,  after  which  he  sur- 
reptitiously slipped  a  biscuit  into  his  pocket  and 
strolled  out  after  them. 


CHAPTEK   XVI 

CHUNKY  *S   NEW   IDEA 

THEEE  of  the  ponies,  they  found,  had  been 
knocked  down  and  so  severely  shocked 
that  they  were  only  just  beginning  to 
regain  consciousness. 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  us?"  demanded  Ned, 
turning  on  Stacy  savagely. 


166         THE  PONY   RIDER  BOYS 

* '  You  wouldn 'i  let  me.  Maybe  next  time  I've 
got  an  idea?  you'll  stop  and  listen." 

Kris  Kringle?s  face  wore  a  broad  grin. 

"Master  Stacy  is  rigbt.  He  tried  hard 
enough  to  tell  ns,"  he  said. 

Chunky  was  humming  blithely  as  the  party  set 
out  next  morning.  He  was  pretty  well  satis- 
fied with  himself,  for  had  he  not  been  through 
a  prairie  fire,  knocked  a  savage  Apache  off  his 
horse,  saved  himself  and  his  companions,  be- 
sides having  just  escaped  from  being  struck  by 
lightning  ?  Stacy  swelled  out  his  chest  and  held 
his  chin  a  little  bit  higher  than  usual. 

" Chunky 's  got  a  swelled  head,"  said  Ned, 
nodding  in  the  direction  of  the  fat  boy. 

"Swelled  chest,  you  mean,"  laughed  Walter. 
"Nobody  has  a  better  right.  Chunky  isn't  half 
as  big  a  fool  as  he'd  have  everybody  believe. 
When  we  think  we  are  having  lots  of  fun  with 
him  he's  really  having  sport  with  lis.  And 
those  Indians — say,  Ned,  do  you  think  they  will 
bother  us  any  more  ? ' ' 

"Ask  Chunky,"  retorted  Ned.  "He's  the 
oracle  of  the  party." 

"I  will,"  answered  Walter,  motioning  for 
Stacy  to  join  them,  which  the  latter  did  leis- 
urely. "We  want  to  know  if  you  think  we've 
seen  the  last  of  the  Apaches?  Will  they  bother 
us  any  morel" 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  167 

The  fat  boy  consulted  the  sky  thoughtfully. 

"I  think  there's  some  of  them  around  now,1' 
he  replied. 

"What*" 

Stacy  nodded  wisely. 

"Santa  Claus  ought  to  have  shot  them." 

"Why,  you  cold-blooded  savage!"  scoffed 
Ned.     "The  idea!" 

"You'll  see.  I'd  have  done  it,  myself,  if  I'd 
had  my  gun,"  declared  Stacy  bravely. 

"Good  thing  for  you  that  your  gun  was  in 
camp,  instead  of  in  your  holster." 

"Yes;  I'd  have  lost  the  gun  when  the  pony 
went  down.  Poor  pony!  Say,  Walt,"  he  mur- 
mured, leaning  over  toward  his  companion. 

"Well,  out  with  it!" 

"This  pony  of  Santa  Claus 's  can  jump  further 
than  a  kangaroo." 

"Ever  see  a  kangaroo  jump1?"  sneered  Ned. 

"No;  but  I've  seen  you  try  to.  I'll  show  you, 
Walt,  when  we  get  a  chance  to  go  out  and  have 
a  contest." 

"That  would  be  good  sport,  wouldn't  it, 
Ned?" 

"What?" 

"A  jumping  contest!" 

"If  we  didn't  break  our  necks." 

"Can't  break  a  Pony  Rider  Boy's  neck. 
They're  too  tough,"  laughed  Walter,  to  which 


168         THE   PONY  EIDER   BOYS 

sentiment,  Stacy  Brown  agreed  with  a  series  of 
emphatic  nods. 

"Say,  Tad,"  called  Walter,  "what  do  you  say 
to  our  jumping  our  ponies  some  time  to-day  V 

Tad  grinned  appreciatively. 

"If  the  stock  isn't  too  tired  when  we  make 
camp,  I  think  it  would  be  great  fun.  We  haven "t 
had  any  real  jumping  contests  in  a  long  time." 

"Wish  we  had  our  stallions  here,  Tad." 

"They're  better  off  at  home,  Chunky.  Alto- 
gether too  valuable  horses  for  this  kind  of  work. 
I'll  speak  to  the  guide." 

"Well,  what  is  it,  young  man?"  smiled  Kris 
Kringle. 

"If  you  can  find  a  level  place  for  our  camp 
we  want  to  have  a  contest  this  afternoon.  Pro- 
fessor, will  you  join  us?" 

"What  kind  of  a  contest?" 

"Jumping." 

"No,  thank  you." 

"We  will  camp  in  the  foothills  of  the  Black 
range.  You  will  find  plenty  of  level  ground 
there  for  your  purpose, ' '  said  the  guide. 

In  order  that  they  might  have  more  time  for 
their  games,  an  early  halt  was  called.  The  first 
work  was  to  pitch  the  camp,  the  ponies  being 
allowed  to  graze  and  rest  in  the  meantime,  after 
which  the  lads  started  out  on  a  broad,  open 
plain  for  their  sport. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  169^ 

Their  shouts  of  merriment  drifted  back  to  the 
camp  where  Kris  Kringle  and  Professor  Zepplin 
were  setting  things  to  rights  and  preparing  an 
early  supper,  the  sun  still  being  some  hours 
high. 

' 'That's  a  great  bunch  of  boys,  Professor." 

?■ Great  for  getting  into  difficulties.,, 

"And  for  getting  out  of  them." 

"I'll  put  them  against  any  other  four  lads 
in  the  world  for  hunting  out  trouble,"  laughed 
the  Professor. 

The  result  of  the  afternoon's  s^ort  was  a  total 
of  several  spills  and  numerous  black  and  bliie 
spots  on  the  bodies  of  the  Pony  Rider  Boys. 
Stacy  Brown  on  Kris  Kringle 's  pony,  carried 
off  the  honors,  having  taken  a  higher  jump  than 
did  any  of  his  companions.  Then  Stacy  did  it 
again,  after  the  others  had  tried — and  failed  to 
equal  the  record. 

The  games  being  finished,  Tad  and  Walter 
rode  off  to  get  a  closer  view  of  some  peculiar 
rock  formations  that  they  had  discovered  in  the 
high  distance,  while  Ned  and  Chunky  started 
slowly  for  the  camp. 

The  table  had  been  set  out  in  front  of  the  tents 
when  the  fat  boy  and  his  companion  came  in 
sight  of  the  camp. 

"Whew!  but  I'm  hungry!"  announced  Stacy 
Brown. 


170         THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

"But  you  didn't  think  of  it  until  you  saw  tho 
table  set,  did  you?" 

"It  wasn't  the  table,  it  was  the  shaking  up  I 
got  back  there  that  made  me  feel  full  of  empti- 
ness." 

"Huh!" 

"I've  got  an  idea,  Ned." 

"For  goodness'  sake,  keep  it  to  yourself,  then. 
"When  you  have  an  idea  it  spells  trouble  fo» 
everybody  else  around  you." 

"Bet  you  I  can." 

"Can  what?"  snorted  Ned. 

* '  Bet  you  I  can  jump  the  dinner  table  and  yon 
can't." 

"Bet  you  can't." 

"Bet  I  can,  and  without  even  knocking  a  fly 
off  the  milk  pitcher." 

"Go  on,  you!  You  try  it  first,  and,  if  you 
don't  make  it,  you  lose.  I  don't  have  to  try  it 
it  if  I  don't  want  to,"  agreed  Ned,  with  rare 
prudence. 

Chunky  was  fairly  hugging  himself  with  glee, 
but  he  took  good  care  that  Ned  Rector  did  not 
observe  his  satisfaction. 

"If  you  don't  you're  a  tenderfoot,"  taunted 
Stacy. 

"I'll  show  you  who's  the  tenderfoot.  You  go 
ahead  and  bolt  the  dinner,  table  and  all,  if  you 
dare.    Now,  then!" 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  171 

Stacy  gathered  up  his  reins.  There  was  mid- 
chief  in  his  eyes,  which  were  fixed  on  the  table* 
neatly  set  for  the  evening  meal. 

"You  start  right  after  me.  They'll  be  sur- 
prised to  see  a  procession  of  ponies  going  ovei 
the  table,  won't  they?" 

"  Somebody  '11  be  surprised.  May  not  be  the 
Professor  and  Santa  Claus,  though, M  growled 
Ned. 

Stacy  had  his  own  ideas  on  this  question,  but 
he  did  not  confide  them  to  his  companion. 

The  fat  boy  clucked  to  his  pony,  and  the  little 
animal  started  off.  As  they  moved  along, 
Stacy  used  the  persuasive  spurs  resulting  in  a 
sudden  burst  of  speed. 

"Come  on!"  he  shouted. 

He  heard  Ned 's  pony  pursuing  him. 

"Hi-yi-yi-y-e-o-w!"  howled  the  shrill  voice  of 
the  fat  boy. 

Professor  Zepplin  and  Kris  Kringle  were  sit- 
ting at  opposite  ends  of  the  table,  with  elbows 
leaning  on  it,  engaged  in  earnest  conversation. 
There  had  been  so  much  yelling  out  on  the  plain 
ever  since  the  boys  left  camp  that  the  older  men 
gave  no  heed  to  this  new  shout — did  not  even 
turn  their  eyes  in  the  direction  whence  Stacy 
Brown  and  his  pony  were  sweeping  down  on 
them  at  break-neck  speed. 

Suddenly  the  two  men  started  back  with  a 


172         THE   PONY   RIDER   BOYS 

sudden  exclamation,  as  a  shadow  fell  athwart 
the  table  and  a  dark  form  hurled  itself  through 
Ihe  air,  while  a  shrill,  "w-h-o-o-p-e-e!"  sounded 
right  over  their  heads. 

The  fat  boy  cleared  the  table  without  so  much 
irs  disturbing  the  fly  to  which  he  had  referred 
when  making  the  arrangement. 

Kris  Kringle's  face  wore  an  expansive  grin 
as  he  discovered  the  cause  of  the  interruption. 
But,  Professor  Zepplin's  face  reflected  no  such 
emotion.  He  was  angry.  He  started  to  rise, 
when  a  second  shadow  fell  across  the  table. 

Ned  Rector,  not  to  be  outdone  by  his  fat  little 
Friend,  pursed  his  lips  tightly,  driving  his 
Ibroncho  at  the  dinner  table  and  pressing  in  the 
(Spurs  so  hard,  that  the  pony  grunted  with  anger. 

Up  went  the  broncho  in  a  graceful  curving 
leap. 

But  the  pony  or  its  rider  had  not  calculated 
the  distance  properly.  Both  rear  hoofs  went 
through  the  table,  whisking  it  off  the  ground 
from  before  the  astonished  eyes  of  Professor 
Eepplin  and  Kris  Kringle. 

Both  men  drew  back  so  violently  that  they  top- 
pled over  backwards. 

'Mid  the  crashing  of  dishes  and  the  sound  of 
[breaking  wood,  the  dinner  table  shot  up  into 
the  air,  while  the  pony  ploughed  the  ground  with 
Its  nose. 


Up  Went  the  Broncho  in  a  Graceful,  Curving  Leap. 
173 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  175 

Ned  Rector  struck  the  ground  some  distance 
further  on;  he  slid  on  his  face  for  several  feet 
skinning  his  nose,  and  filling  mouth,  eyes  and 
nose  with  dirt. 

Then  dishes  and  pieces  of  table  began  to  rain 
down  on  them  in  a  perfect  shower.  A  can  of 
condensed  milk  emptied  itself  on  the  head  of 
Professor  Zepplin,  while  a  hot  biscuit  lodged 
inside  the  collar  of  Santa  Claus's  shirt. 

"Wow!  Oh,  wow!"  howled  the  fat  boy,  fall- 
ing off  his  pony  in  the  excess  of  hi3  merriment 
and  rolling  on  the  ground. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

IN  THE   HOME   OF   THE   CAVE  DWELLEBS 

NED  EECTOR  sat  up  just  in  time  to  meet 
the    wreck    of    the    descending    table. 
Down  he  went  again  with  Stacy's  howls 
ringing  in  his  ears. 

A  firm  hand  jerked  Rector  free  of  the  debris 
as  Kris  Kringle  laughing  heartily  hauled  Ned  to 
Ms  feet.  At  the  same  moment  Professor  Zepp- 
lin had  laid  more  violent  hands  on  the  fat  boy, 
whom  he  shook  until  Stacy 's  howls  lost  much  of 
their  mirth.  About  this  time  Tad  and  Walter 
rode  in,  having  hurried  along  upon  hearing  the 
disturbance  in  camp. 


176         THE   PONY  EIDEE   BOYS 

"Stacy  Brown,  are  you  responsible  for  this?'* 
demanded  the  Professor  sternly. 

"I'm  more  to  blame  than  he  is,"  interposed 
Ned. 

"No,  I — I  had  an  idea,"  chuckled  Stacy, 
threatening  to  break  out  into  another  howl  of 
mirth. 

"Next  time  you  have  one,  then,  you  will  be 
good  enough  to  let  me  know.  We  will  tie  you 
up  until  the  impulse  to  make  trouble  has 
passed." 

Tad  and  Walter  could  not  resist  a  shout  of 
laughter.  Kris  Kringle  was  not  slow  to  follow 
the  example  set  by  them,  and  all  at  once  Profes- 
sor Zepplin  forgot  his  dignity,  sitting  right 
down  amid  the  wreck  and  laughing  immoder- 
ately. 

Ned  washed  his  face,  and  when,  upon  facing 
them,  he  exhibited  a  peeled  nose  and  a  black 
eye,  the  merriment  was  renewed  again. 

Supper  was  a  success,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  many  of  their  dishes  were  utterly  ruined,  as 
well  as  seme  of  the  provisions.  But  the  lads 
gathered  up  the  pieces  and  made  the  best  of  a 
bad  job.  Fortunately  they  carried  another  fold- 
ing table  that  they  had  had  made  for  their  trip, 
and  this  was  soon  spread  and  a  fresh  meal  pre- 
pared. 

"Well,  have  you  two  been  getting  into  diffi- 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  177 

culties  also!"  questioned  the  Professor,  after 
they  sat  down  to  supper. 

"No;  we've  been  exploring,  Walter  and  I,*' 
answered  Tad. 

"  Exploring  V9 

"Yes.  We  discovered  something  that  I  should 
like  to  know  more  about." 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Kris  Exingle,  looking 
up  interestedly. 

"We  were  over  yonder,  close  to  the  mono*- 
tains,  which  are  straight  up  and  down,  and  half 
way  to  the  top,  we  saw  three  or  four  queerly- 
shaped  rocks  that  looked  like  houses  or  huts, 
Did  you  ever  see  them,  Mr.  Kringle?" 

"No;  but  I  think  I  know  what  you  mean. 
They  must  be  some  of  the  cave  dwellings  of  tha 
ancient  Pueblos,  or  perhaps  as  far  back  as  thj9 
Toltecs.  They  built  their  homes  in  caves  on 
the  steep  rocks  for  better  protection  against 
their  enemies." 

"And  nobody  ever  discovered  these  before t*' 
questioned  Walter.    '  *  How  queer ! ' ' 

"Perhaps  these  dwellings,  if  such  they  arO| 
have  been  seen  by  many  a  traveler,  none  of 
whom  had  interest  enough  in  the  matter  to  in- 
vestigate, Then  again,  they  may  have  been 
fully  explored.  There's  not  much  in  this  pait 
of  the  country  that  prospectors  have  not  looked 
over." 


m         WBB  PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

"May  we  explore  these  caves,  Professor!** 
asked  Tad. 

ft  Please  let  us! "  urged  Walter. 

"I  see  no  objection  if  Mr.  Kringle  will  be  re- 
sponsible for  you.  I  rather  think  I'll  look  into 
{hem  myself.  I'll  confess  the  idea  interests  met 
Are  they  easy  to  get  at?" 

"I'm  afraid  not,"  answered  Tad. 

"Santa  Claus  will  show  us  the  way,"  inter- 
rupted Stacy  enthusiastically. 

He  was  frowned  down  by  the  Professor. 

rtWhy  not  start  now?"  urged  Tad. 

Hie  guide  consulted  the  sun. 

"We  might.  It  lacks  all  of  three  hours  to 
dark." 

There  was  much  enthusiasm  in  camp.  The 
Idea  that  they  were  to  visit  some  unexplored 
(Saves,  dwellings  of  an  ancient  people,  filled  the 
lads  with  pleasant  expectancy. 

Before  starting,  Mr.  Kringle  sorted  out  some 
Strong  manila  rope  and  several  tent  stakes  all 
Ojf  which  he  did  up  into  two  bundles.  Then  he 
filled  the  magazine  of  his  rifle,  throwing  this 
Over  his  shoulder. 

"What's  that  for?"  questioned  Ned. 

"The  gun?" 

"Yes." 

"Can't  tell  what  we  may  run  into  in  a  cave, 
fon  know." 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  179 

After  a  final  look  at  the  camp  all  hands  set 
out  for  the  place  indicated  by  Tad.  It  was  only] 
a  short  distance,  so  they  decided  to  walk. 

Reaching  the  base  of  the  mountain  they  gazed 
up. 

"Yes,  those  are  cave  dwellings,"  declared 
Kris  Kringle.  "And  they  are  still  closed. 
Probably  they  haven't  been  opened  in  two  hun- 
dred years.' ' 

"I'd  hate  to  live  there  and  have  to  go. home 
in  a  dark  night,"  mused  Chunky. 

"Yes,  how  did  they  get  to  their  houses?" 
wondered  the  other  boys. 

"The  question  is,  how  are  we  going  to  get 
near  enough  to  explore  them?  How  shall  we  get 
up  there,  Mr.  Guide?"  asked  the  Professor. 

"We'll  find  a  way.  We  shall  have  to  climb 
the  mountain,  first." 

All  hands  began  clambering  up  the  rocks.  To 
do  so  they  were  obliged  to  follow  along  the  base 
of  the  mountain  for  some  distance  before  thejs 
found  a  place  that  they  could  climb. 

Reaching  the  top,  the  guide  examined  their 
surroundings  carefully. 

"See  those  little  projections  of  rock  slanting 
down  toward  the  shelf?"  he  asked. 

"Yes." 

"Well,  in  the  old  days  they  probably  felled  a 
tree  so  it  would  fall  on  them.    The  occupants 


180         THE  PONY   EIDER   BOYS 

of  the  cave  probably  cut  steps  in  the  tree  trunk 
over  which  to  travel  up  and  down.  The  tree 
has  rotted  away  many  years  since." 

"And  we  can't  get  down,  then?" 

"We'll  find  a  way,  Master  Walter.  I  thought 
I  should  be  able  to  make  a  rope  ladder  that 
would  work,  but  I  see  it  is  not  practicable." 

"How  shall  we  do  it?" 

"Try  the  old  way,  I  guess,  Master  Tad." 

"What's  that?" 

"The  tree." 

"But  there  are  no  trees  near  here?" 

"Yes,  there  are,  a  few  rods  back.  We  are  all 
strong  and  I  guess  we  shall  be  able  to  make  a 
pretty  fair  pair  of  steps." 

Kris  Kringle  had  brought  an  axe  with  him. 
With  this  he  cut  some  long,  straight  poles 
which,  he  explained,  were  intended  for  pike 
poles  such  as  woodsmen  use  to  roll  logs.  This 
done,  he  began  industriously  chopping  at  the 
tree  after  deciding  upon  the  exact  position  in 
which  he  desired  it  to  fall. 

"It  won't  reach,"  declared  Chunky,  who, 
with  hands  in  pockets,  legs  spread  wide  apart, 
stood  looking  up  at  the  flaring  top  of  the  great 
tree. 

The  guide  stopped  chopping  long  enough  to 
squint  at  the  fat  boy. 

"It'll  reach  you  all  right,  if  you  stay  where 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  181 

you  are,"  he  said,  then  resumed  his  vigorous 
blows. 

Stacy  promptly  took  the  hint  and  moved  a 
safe  distance  away. 

"Get  from  under  !"  shouted  the  guide  finally. 
One  more  blow  would  send  the  tree  crashing 
downward. 

All  hands  scrambled  for  safety.  One  power- 
ful blow  from  the  axe,  and  with  a  crashing  and 
rending,  the  great  tree  began  its  descent. 
When  it  struck  the  onlookers  fully  expected  to 
see  it  broken  into  many  pieces,  but  the  bushy 
top,  hitting  the  rocks  first,  broke  the  blow,  and 
the  body  of  the  tree  settled  down  gently  with- 
out even  breaking  its  bark. 

"Fine!    Hurrah !"  shouted  the  boys. 

"It  won't  reach  to  the  edge.  Going  to  pull  it 
over?"  questioned  Stacy. 

"Not  exactly,  but  we're  going  to  get  it  there. 
Perhaps  we  shall  not  have  it  in  place  in  time 
to  explore  the  caves  to-night,  but  we  shall  be 
ready  to  do  so  early  in  the  morning.  It  took 
our  friends  longer  to  do  this  job,  two  hundred 
years  or  more  ago,  than  it  will  take  us.  We 
have  better  tools  to  work  with. ' ' 

"And  better  bosses,"  suggested  Stacy. 

Some  little  time  was  consumed  in  chopping 
the  tree  loose  from  its  stump,  after  which  the 
guide  worked  the  pike  poles  uuder  the  trunk  at 


182         THE   PONY   EIDER   BOYS 

intervals  near  the  base.  The  others  watched 
these  operations  with  interest. 

"Now  here  is  where  yon  yonng  gentlemen  will 
have  a  chance  to  show  how  strong  you  are.  Each 
one  grab  a  pike  pole,"  Kringle  directed. 

"Shan't  I  go  hold  the  top  down!"  asked 
Stacy. 

"You  just  grab  a  pike  pole  and  get  busy," 
laughed  Mr.  Kringle. 

"Can't  get  out  of  work  quite  so  easy  as  you 
thought,"  scoffed  Ned.  "This  is  where  we 
make  you  earn  your  supper." 

"I  don't  have  to  earn  it.    Had  it  already."1 

"There  are  other  meals  coming,"  smiled  the 
Professor. 

"Now,  heo — he!" 

All  raised  on  the  pike  poles  at  the  same  time 
with  the  result  that  the  tree  was  forced  down 
the  gentle  incline  several  feet.  This  was  re- 
peated again  and  again,  the  boys  pausing  to 
cheer  after  every  lift. 

The  tree  being  now  perilously  near  the  edge 
of  the  cliff  Kris  Kringle  called  a  halt.  Next  he 
fastened  a  rope  around  the  top  and  another 
around  the  base,  taking  a  turn  around  a  rock 
with  each.  One  boy  was  placed  on  each  rope, 
the  others  at  the  pike  poles,  while  the  guide 
stood  at  the  edge  giving  directions. 

The  tree  trunk  gently  slipped  over  under  his 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  183 

guidance  and  a  few  minutes  later  rested  on  the 
projecting  rocks,  that  were  just  high  enough  to 
hold  it  in  place. 

"Wouldn't  take  much  to  send  it  over,  but  I 
guess  it  will  be  perfectly  safe,"  he  mused. 

"May  we  go  down  now?"  cried  the  boys. 

"No;  I'll  make  some  steps  first." 

He  did  so  with  the  axe,  chopping  out  scoop- 
shaped  places  for  steps,  until  finally  he  had 
reached  the  rock  in  front  of  the  cave  dwellings. 

The  tree  lay  at  an  easy  slope,  its  bushy  top 
partly  resting  on  the  ledge,  the  latter  being 
some  eight  feet  deep  by  ten  feet  wide. 

Running  up  the  log  Mr.  Kringle  made  another 
rope  fast  at  the  top,  throwing  the  free  end  over. 

"Hold  on  to  the  rope  while  you  are  going 
down  and  you'll  be  in  no  danger  of  falling," 
he  warned.  * 

The  boys  scrambled  down  the  tree  like  so 
many  squirrels,  the  Professor  following  some- 
what more  cautiously. 

The  explorers  found  themselves  not  more 
than  twenty  fee!:  from  the  ground. 

"Not  much  of  a  door  yard.  Where's  the 
garden?"  wondered  Stacy,  looking  about  him 
curiously. 

The  entrance  to  the  cave  dwelling  was 
blocked  by  a  huge  boulder,  that  completely  filled 
the  opening.     How  it  had   been  gotten  there 


184         THE   PONY  EIDER   BOYS 

none  could  say.  The  only  possible  explanation 
was  that  the  boulder  had  been  found  on  the 
shelf  and  applied  to  the  purpose  of  protecting 
the  cave  dwellers'  home. 

"Now  we're  here,  we  can't  get  in,"  grumbled 
Ned. 

"Nothing  is  impossible,"  answered  Kris 
Kr  ingle. 

"Except  one  thing." 

"What's  that,  Master  Ned?" 

"To  hammer  the  least  little  bit  of  sense  into 
the  head  of  my  friend,  Chunky  Brown." 

"You  don't  have  to,  that's  why,"  retorted 
Stacy  quickly.  "It  has  all  the  sense  it'll  hold, 
now." 

"I  guess  that  will  be  about  all  for  you,  Ned," 
laughed  Walter.  "At  least,  Chunky  didn't  foul 
the  dinner  table  when  he  jumped  it." 

The  guide,  in  the  meantime,  was  experiment- 
ing with  the  boulder,  inserting  a  pike  pole  here 
and  there  in  an  effort  to  move  the  big  stone. 
It  remained  in  place  as  solidly  as  if  it  had  grown 
there. 

"There's  some  trick  about  the  thing,  I  know, 
but  what  it  is  gets  me.  Better  stand  back,  all 
of  you,  in  case  it  comes  out  all  of  a  sudden,"  Mr. 
Kringle  warned  them. 

All  at  once  the  boulder  did  eome  out,  and  it 
kept  on  coming. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  185 

"Look  out?"  bellowed  the  guide.. 

"Low  bridge!"  howled  Stacy,  hopping  to  one 
side  and  crouching  against  the  rocks.. 

The  guide  had  sprung  nimbly  to  one  side  as 
welL  The  big  rock  had  popped  out  like  a  pea 
from  a  pod.  Instead  of  stopping,  however,  it 
continued  to  roll  on  toward  the  edge. 

"Hug  the  rocks!  She's  going  down!" 
shouted  the  guide. 

Go  down  it  did,  with  a  crash  that  seemed  to 
shake  the  mountain.  Boiling  to  the  edge  of  the 
shelf,  it  had  toppled  over,  taking  a  large  strip 
of  shelving  rock  with  it. 

"Wow!"  howled  Chunky. 

The  other  boys  uttered  no  sound,  though 
their  faces  were  a  little  more  pale  than  usual. 

Kris  Kringle  stepped  to  the  edge,  peering 
over. 

"No  one  will  get  that  up  here  again,  right 
away,"  he  said. 

"The  cave,  the  cave!"  shouted  Walter. 

Everyone  turned,  gazing  half  in  awe  at  the 
dark  opening  that  the  removal  of  the  stone  had 
revealed — an  opening  that  had  been  closed  for 
probably  more  than  two  centuries. 


186         THE  PONY  EIDER  BOYS 


D 


CHAPTER  XVni 

FACING   TEE   ENEMY 's   GUNS 

f '  |  *\  0  we  go  in?'*  asked  the  Professor. 

"Wait,  I'll  get  some  light  inside 
first,"  answered  the  prudent  guide. 
"Can't  tell  whether  we  shall  want  to  go  in  or 
not." 

He  built  up  a  small  fire  within,  then  called  to 
the  others  that  they  might  enter.  They  crowded 
in  hastily,  finding  themselves  in  a  fairly  large 
chamber,  at  the  far  end  of  which  was  a  sort  of 
natural  alcove  in  the  rocks. 

The  remnants  of  a  fire  still  lay  at  one  side, 
where  the  last  meal  of  the  ancient  dweller  had 
probably  been  cooked.  Several  crude  looking 
utensils  lay  about,  together  with  a  number  of 
pieces  of  ancient  pottery. 

"This  is,  indeed,  a  rare  find!"  exclaimed  the 
Professor,  carrying  the  precious  jars  out  into 
the  light  for  closer  examination. 

Chunky,  about  that  time,  pounced  upon  an 
object  which  proved  to  be  a  copper  hatchet 

"Hurray  for  George  Washington!"  he 
shouted,  brandishing  the  crude  tool.  "The  man 
who  never  told " 

"We've  heard  that  before,"  objected  Ned. 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  181 

''Give  us  something  new,  Chunky,  if  you've  got 
to  talk." 

The  Professor  came  in,  searching  for  other 
curios  just  as  Stacy  went  out  to  examine  his 
"little  axe,"  as  he  was  pleased  to  call  it.  He 
tried  the  edge  of  it  on  the  ledge  to  find  out  if 
the  stone  would  dull  it,  but  it  did  not. 

"I'll  use  that  to  cut  nails  and  wire  with  when 
I  get  back  home, ' '  decided  the  boy.  ' '  Guess  I  '11 
chop  my  name  in  the  side  of  the  mountain  here." 
Stacy  proceeded  to  do  so,  the  others  being  too 
much  engrossed  in  their  explorations  to  know  or 
care  what  he  was  about.  He  succeeded  very 
well,  both  in  making  letters  on  the  wall  and  in 
putting  several  nicks  in  the  edge  of  his  new- 
found hatchet. 

He  was  thus  engaged  when  all  at  once  some- 
thing struck  the  axe  hurling  it  from  his  hand. 
At  the  same  instant  a  rifle  crashed  off  some- 
where below  and  to  the  southeast  of  him. 

"Ouch!"  exclaimed  the  fat  boy  holding  his 
hand.  "Wonder  who  did  that?"  His  mind 
had  not  coupled  the  shot  with  the  blow  on  the 
hatchet. 

Bang! 

A  bullet  flattened  itself  close  to  his  head, 
against  the  rock. 

With  a  howl,  the  lad  threw  himself  down  on 
the  ledge. 


188         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

At  that  instant  Kris  Kringle  sprang  to  the 
opening  of  the  cave. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  he  snapped. 

"I  don't  know.  Somebody  knocked  the  axe 
out  of  my  hand  then  shot  at  me." 

The  guide  discovered  the  trouble  right  there. 
A  bullet  snipped  his  hat  from  his  head;  and, 
striking  the  ceiling  of  the  cave-home,  dropped 
to  the  floor  with  a  dull  clatter. 

Kris  Kringle  ducked  with  amazing  quickness. 
Crawling  back  into  the  cave,  he  reached  for 
his  own  rifle  and  then  sought  the  opening,  tak- 
ing good  care  not  to  expose  himself  to  the  fire 
of  the  unseen  enemy. 

Stacy,  on  his  part,  had  lost  no  time  in  get- 
ting to  a  place  of  safety  inside,  though  he  was 
prudent  enough  to  crawl  instead  of  getting  up 
and  walking  in. ' ' 

"What  does  this  mean!  It  can't  be  possible 
that  anyone  is  deliberately  shooting  at  us?" 
questioned  Professor  Zepplin  in  undisguised 
amazement. 

"If  you  doubt  it  step  outside,"  suggested 
Kris  Kringle.  "Master  Stacy  and  myself  know 
what  they  tried  to  do,  don't  we,  lad?" 

"We  do." 

The  fat  boy  again  swelled  with  importance. 

"Look  out  you  don't  swell  up  so  big  you'll 
break  your  harness,"  warned  Ned. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  189 

"Better  break  it  than  have  it  shot  off,"  mum- 
bled Stacy. 

"Who  can  it  be?" 

"I  can't  say,  Professor." 

"It's  our  friends  from  the  fire  dance,"  was 
Tad's  expressed  conviction. 

"Told  you  they'd  be  here,"  nodded  Chunky. 
"Why  don't  you  shoot  at  them?" 

' '  Going  to,  in  a  minute.  Got  to  find  out  where 
they  are  first." 

Now  the  lads  were  excited  in  earnest.  Some 
one  was  shooting  at  them,  and  the  guide  was 
going  to  fire  back.  This  was  more  than  they 
had  expected  when  they  visited  the  home  of  the 
cave-dwellers. 

"Let  me  take  a  crack  at  'em,"  begged  Chunky. 
"I  owe  'em  one." 

"Master  Stacy,  you  will  do  nothing  of  the 
sort,"  reproved  the  Professor  sternly.  "The 
idea!" 

"No;  if  there's  any  shooting  to  be  done  I'll 
do  it,"  announced  Kris  Kringle. 

"And  Santa  Claus  isn't  shooting  with  any  toy 
gun,  this  time,"  chuckled  Chunky. 

"Can  you  see  the  camp,  to  know  if  anyone  is 
there!" 

"Yes,  but  only  part  of  it,  Professor.  I  wish 
you  would  all  get  over  into  the  right  hand  cor- 
ner there  and  lie  flat  on  the  floor.    I'm  going  to 


190         THE   PONY   RIDER   BOYS 

try  to  draw  their  fire  so  that  I  can  locate  them. 
Can't  afford  to  waste  ammunition  until  we  are 
reasonably  sure  where  our  mark  is." 

The  others  quickly  got  into  the  position  indi- 
cated. 

Placing  his  hat  on  one  of  the  pike  poles, 
Kringle  slowly  pushed  it  outside. 

There  was  no  result.  The  ruse  failed  to 
draw  the  enemy's  fire. 

"Oh,  they've  gone.  We're  a  lot  of  babies," 
jeered  Ned,  jumping  up  and  starting  for  the 
opening. 

Kris  Kringle  gave  him  a  push  with  the  butt 
of  the  rifle. 

* '  Want  to  get  shot  full  of  holes  ?  WTait !  I  '11 
show  you." 

The  guide  sprang  up,  showing  himself  out  on 
the  ledge  for  one  brief  instant  then  throwing 
himself  flat. 

A  sharp  "ping"  against  the  rocks,  followed 
by  a  heavy  report,  told  the  story.  The  guide 
had  been  not  a  second  too  soon  in  getting  out 
of  harm's  way,  for  the  bullet  would  have  gone 
right  through  him  had  he  remained  standing. 

Quick  as  a  flash  Kringle 's  rifle  leaped  to  his 
shoulder,  and  he  fired.  He  had  taken  quick  aim 
at  a  puff  of  smoke  off  toward  the  camp. 

Not  content  with  one  shot  he  raked  the 
bushes  all  about  where  the  puff  of  smoke  had 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  191 

been  seen,  emptying  the  magazine  of  the  rifle 
in  a  few  seconds. 

Stacy  Brown  was  fairly  dancing  with  glee. 

"Did  you  hit  anything?"  asked  the  boys 
breathlessly. 

"Of  course,  I  hit  something;  but  whether  I 
winged  an  Indian  or  not,  I  don't  know.  If  I 
did,  he  probably  is  not  seriously  wounded. 
You'll  hear  a  redskin  yell  when  he's  hit  bad." 

"That  one  I  punched  didn't.  He  was  hit 
hard,"  volunteered  Stacy. 

"He  didn't  have  time,"  grinned  Tad.  "You 
were  too  quick  for  him." 

"Look  out!  There  comes  a  volley!"  warned 
Mr.  Kringle. 

The  boys,  led  by  the  Professor  tumbled  into 
the  corner  in  a  heap,  while  the  lead  pattered  in 
through  the  opening,  rattling  with  great  force 
like  a  handful  of  pebbles. 

"They're  getting  in  a  hurry,"  averred  the 
Professor. 

"It's  growing  dark.  They  want  to  finish  U3 
before  then,  so  we  can't  play  any  tricks  on  them 
after  that.  But,  if  they  only  knew  it,  and  they 
probably  do,  they've  got  us  beautifully  trapped. 
One  man  below  and  another  at  the  other  end  of 
our  tree  would  be  able  to  keep  us  here  till  the 
springs  run  dry.  If  there's  only  two  of  them 
there,  as  I  suspect  is  the  case,  they  may  not  want 


192         THE   PONT   EIDER   BOYS 

to  separate.  We'll  see,  the  minute  it  gets  dark 
enough  so  that  we  can  move  about  without  be- 
ing observed." 

Some  of  the  sage  brush  that  Kris  Kringle  had 
brought  down  to  light  up  the  cave  lay  outside 
on  the  ledge.  Using  one  of  the  poles,  he  cau- 
tiously raked  the  stuff  inside,  heaping  it  up  not 
far  from  the  entrance. 

"What  you  doing  that  for?'7  questioned 
Stacy,  unable  to  conceal  his  curiosity. 

"You'll  see,  by-and-by,  when  we  get  ready  to 
do  something  else.  You  don't  think  I'm  going 
to  stay  here  all  night,  do  you?" 

There  was  no  further  firing  on  either  side, 
though  Mr.  Kringle  showed  himself  boldly 
several  times. 

Finally  Tad  tried  it,  and  was  greeted  with 
h  shot  the  instant  he  appeared  in  the  opening. 

"Must  be  me  they're  after,"  he  suggested, 
with  a  forced  grin,  falling  flat  on  the  ledge,  and 
wriggling  back  into  the  cave. 

The  twilight  was  upon  them  now.  The  guide 
had  been  able  to  see  the  flash  of  the  rifle  below 
him,  and  had  taken  a  quick  shot  at  it  when  the 
enemy  attempted  to  wing  Tad  Butler.  Kringle 
had  no  means  of  knowing  whether  his  shot  had 
been  effective  or  not. 

"I'm  going  to  try  something  else  in  a  few 
minutes,  now,"  the  guide  told  the  Professor  and 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  193 

the  boys,  "and  I  hope  you  all  will  do  just  as  I 
tell  you. ' ' 

"You  may  depend  upon  our  doing  exactly 
that,"  answered  the  Professor. 

"I  am  going  to  crawl  out  of  here.  The  rest 
of  you  remain  here  until  I  call  to  you  to  come 
out,  no  matter  if  it  is  until  morning.  After  I 
have  been  gone  about  ten  minutes,  light  a  match 
and  toss  it  into  the  heap  of  sage  there,  but  watch 
out  that  you  don 't  get  into  the  light.  Throw  the 
match.  You're  liable  to  be  shot  if  you  show 
yourselves." 

"Why  should  we  make  a  fire  and  thus  make 
targets  of  ourselves?"  protested  Ned. 

"That  is  to  cover  Mr.  Kringle's  retreat," 
Tad  informed  them. 

"Exactly.  Master  Tad,  you  may  come  along 
with  me  if  you  wish. " 

Tad  jumped  at  the  offer. 

"But  not  a  sound.  Ask  me  no  questions. 
Follow  a  rod  or  so  behind  me,  and  walk  low 
down  all  the  time.  If  you  make  a  mistake  it 
may  result  seriously  for  you  and  your  friends. 
And,  another  thing." 

"Yes?" 

"Should  there  be  any  shooting,  throw  your- 
self on  the  ground.  You  will  not  b©  as  likely 
to  be  hit  there." 

"I'll  obey  orders,  sir." 


194         THE  PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

"I  know  it." 

"When  do  we  start?" 

"I  guess  we  can  do  so  now,  as  safely  as  at 
any  time.  The  rascals  will  not  be  likely  to  be 
on  the  mountain  just  yet,  because  it  is  not  dark 
enough.    Yes;  we'll  go  now." 

Tad  waited  until  Kris  Kringle  had  crawled 
from  the  cave,  then  lay  down  on  his  stomach 
and  wriggled  out  on  the  ledge. 

There  were  no  signs  of  the  enemy  and  the 
camp-fire  of  the  Pony  Rider  Boys  glowed  dimly 
down  below.  Tad,  peering  off  into  the  gloom, 
for  the  moon  had  not  yet  risen,  thought  he  saw 
a  figure  flit  by  the  fire.  He  could  not  be  sure, 
however.  He  wished  he  might  tell  the  guide  of 
his  fancied  discovery;  but,  remembering  the  in- 
junction for  absolute  silence,  he  said  nothing. 

By  this  time,  Tad's  arms  were  about  the  log. 
From  the  slight  vibration  he  knew  that  Kris 
Kringle  was  somewhere  between  himself  and  the 
top,  yet  not  a  sound  did  the  guide  make.  Tad 
made  no  more,  and  they  would  have  been  keen 
ears,  indeed,  that  could  have  detected  our 
friends'  presence  by  sound  alone. 

When  the  lad  finally  reached  the  top  a  hand 
was  laid  on  his  shoulder.  The  touch  gave  him 
a  violent  start  in  spite  of  his  steady  nerves. 

"You're  all  right,"  whispered  the  voice  of 
Kris  Kringle.    "You'd  make  a  good  Indian.    I 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  195 

want  to  explain  something  that  I  didn't  wish  the 
others  to  hear. ' ' 

4 'Yes?"  whispered  Tad. 

"I  have  only  one  shell  left  in  my  rifle.  That 'a 
why  I  wanted  you  to  go  along.  If,  by  any 
chance,  the  rascals  should  get  me,  you  lie  low. 
They'll  make  for  the  cave,  as  they  know,  by  this 
time,  that  there  is  only  one  rifle  in  the  party. 
The  minute  they  do,  should  such  an  emergency 
arise,  slide  for  the  camp  and  get  your  gun. 
You'll  know  what  to  do  with  it.  It'll  be  a  ease 
of  saving  the  lives  of  your  companions  if  it 
comes  to  that." 

"I  understand,"  answered  Tad  bravely,  and 
without  a  quaver  in  his  voice, 

"Mind  you,  I  don't  think  for  a  minute  that  it 
will  happen.  I  can  handle  these  fellows  if  I 
get  the  lay  of  the  land.  Keep  close  enough  to 
hear  me." 

"That's  not  so  easy." 

"No;  but  you'll  know.  "When  I  stop  you  do 
the  same." 


196         THE   PONY   RIDER   BOYS 


CHAPTER   XIX 

OUTWITTING   THE   BEDSKINS 

RIS  KRINGLE  moved  away  without  an\ 
other  word.    His  abrupt  departure  was 
the  signal  for  the  Pony  Rider  boy  to 
start,  which  he  did  instantly. 

In  a  few  minutes  Tad  was  skulking  along  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  when  he  ran  into  the  guide 

again. 
Just  then  the  report  of  a  rifle  sounded  down 

below  them.  m 

"Are  they  shooting  at  us?"  whispered  lad. 
"No;  the  boys  have  lighted  the  fire  in  the 

cave     Our  friends  down  below  took  a  pot  shot 

at  the  blaze.    Hope  they  didn't  hit  anybody." 
"Chunky  would  be  the  only  one  to  get  m  the 

way,  and  I  imagine  the  others  would  hold  him 

back." 

"Come  this  way;  we'll  go  down  by  a  differ- 
ent trail.  The  redskins  are  watching  the  fire  m 
the  cave,  but  they  may  be  keeping  an  eye  on 
the  trail  at  the  same  time." 

Silently  the  man  and  the  boy  took  their  way 
along  the  rough,  uneven  path,  slowly  working 
down  into  the  valley.  They  soon  reached  this, 
£or  the  range  was  low  there. 


IN  NEW   MEXICO  197 

Beaching  the  foothills,  the  two  scouts  once 
more  fell  into  single  file,  Tad  Butler  to  the  rear. 
He  knew  that  the  guide 's  rifle  ahead  of  him  was 
ready  for  instant  use,  and  at  any  second  now 
Tad  expected  to  see  the  flash  of  a  gun. 

The  lad  was  not  afraid,  but  he  was  all  a-quiver 
with  excitement.  This  stalking  an  enemy  in  the 
dark,  not  knowing  at  what  minute  that  enemy 
might  make  the  attack,  was  not  the  same  as  a 
stand-up  fight  in  broad  daylight.  Tad  won- 
dered why  the  guide  had  not  permitted  the  rest 
of  the  party  to  escape  while  they  had  the  op- 
portunity. He  did  not  know  that  Kris  Kringle 
fully  expected  an  ambush,  nor  that  two  would 
stand  a  better  chance  to  get  through  and  out- 
wit the  savages  than  would  half  a  dozen  of  them. 

The  pair  had  approached  nearly  to  the  camp, 
for  which  the  guide  was  heading,  when  suddenly 
a  hand  was  laid  on  the  boy's  arm  in  a  firm  grip. 
Tad  knew  the  guide  had  seen  or  heard  some- 
thing. 

"What  is  it?" 

"There!" 

In  the  faint  light  of  the  camp-fire  the  lad, 
gazing  where  Kris  Kringle  had  pointed,  was 
astonished  to  see  a  figure  seated  at  their  table. 
From  his  motions  it  was  evident  that  the  in- 
truder was  stowing  away  the  stolen  food  at  a 
great  rate. 


198         THE   PONY   RIDER   BOYS 

"Is  that  one  of  them?" 

"Yes." 

"He'll  have  indigestion,  the  way  he's  eating. 
Hope  he  doesn't  swallow  the  dishes,  too." 

"I'm  going  to  find  the  other  one.  Yon  crawl 
as  close  to  the  camp  as  you  can  with  safety.  If 
you  hear  a  disturbance,  dive  for  the  tents  the 
instant  that  fellow  starts.  He'll  move  if  he 
hears  any  noise.  Get  a  gun  and  hurry  to  me, 
but  be  quiet  about  it." 

"Yes." 

"Remember  your  instructions.  I  may  be  able 
to  handle  both  of  them,  but  if  I  don't  get  the 
missing  one  at  the  first  crack  I  shan't  be  able 
to  take  care  of  them  both.  You'll  have  to  help 
me.    Got  the  nerve?" 

'■'I'm  not  afraid,"  whispered  the  boy  steadily. 
"And  I've  got  some  muscle  as  well." 

"That's  evident    I'm  off  now." 

Tad  was  left  alone.  This  time  he  could  feel 
the  guide's  movements,  as  the  latter  slipped 
away  on  the  soft  earth.  But  in  a  moment  all 
sound  was  lost 

"I  think  I'll  crawl  up  nearer,  so  as  to  be 
handy  if  anything  occurs,"  decided  the  lad, 
creeping  along  on  all  fours.  He  could  not 
see  the  light  in  the  camp  now,  but  he  rea- 
soned that  the  man  at  the  table  was  sitting  with 
Ms  back  to  it,  as  near  as  Tad  could  judge  of 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  199 

direction  in  the  dark.  The  Indian  seemed  not  to 
fear  a  surprise. 

" That's  what  comes  from  overconfidence," 
grinned  the  lad. 

"I  wish  I  had  something  to  defend  myself 
with,"  he  added  after  a  pause. 

Tad  had  no  sooner  expressed  his  wish,  than 
his  fingers  closed  over  some  object  on  the 
ground.  He  grasped  it  with  about  the  same 
hopefulness  that  a  dying  man  will  grasp  at  a 
straw. 

What  he  had  found  was  a  heavy  tent  stake, 
one  that  Kris  Kringle  had  dropped  from  his 
bundle  on  the  way  to  the  cliff  dweller's  home. 

The  lad  breathed  a  prayer  of  thankfulness  and 
crept  on  with  renewed  courage. 

He  proceded  as  far  as  he  dared;  then,  lay 
still,  listening  for  the  noise  of  the  expected  con- 
flict between  the  guide  and  the  other  red  man. 

It  came.  The  sound  was  like  thit  of  a  body 
falling  heavily. 

Once  more  the  Indian  at  the  table  turned  his 
head,  listening  inquiringly.  He  made  a  half 
motion  to  rise,  glanced  at  the  table,  then  sat 
down  again  and  began  to  eat. 

"His  appetite  has  overcome  his  judgment," 
grinned  Tad.  The  lad  could  hear  the  faint  sound 
of  conflict  somewhere  to  the  rear  of  him.  He 
was  getting  uneasy  and  began  to  fidget. 


200        THE   PONY  EIDEE  BOYS 

All  at  once  the  red  man  sprang  up,  whirled, 
and  ran  directly  for  the  place  where  Tad  lay 
flattened  on  the  ground. 

The  boy  was  up  like  a  flash.  The  Indian 
stopped,  knife  unsheathed,  ready  for  battle. 
Almost  instantly  Tad  brought  the  tent  stake 
down  on  the  wrist  of  the  hand  that  held  the 
knife.  The  knife  dropped  to  the  ground  and 
the  Indian  sprang  at  the  slender  boy. 

Tad  Butler,  though  strong  and  hard  and  wiry, 
was  no  match  for  the  powerful  Indian,  even 
with  a  half-crippled  wrist.  So,  though  he 
fought  valiantly,  he  was  thrown  so  heavily  to 
the  ground  that  everything  grew  black. 

"When  Tad  awakened  he  saw  dimly  a  figure 
bending  over  him.  Quickly,  the  boy's  arms 
went  up  and  encircled  the  neck  of  the  man 
kneeling  beside  him. 

* '  Here,  here !  "What 's  the  matter  with  you  ? '  * 
gasped  a  muffled  voice. 

"Kris  Kringle!"  stammered  Tad.  "I 
thought  you  were  the  Indian,"  he  apologized. 

"If  it  had  been,  there 'd  have  been  no  need 
for  my  interference, ' '  chuckled  the  man.  ' '  You 
have  a  choking  grip,  boy." 

"Where  is  the  fellow?" 

"Over  there,  bound  hand  and  foot,  with  his 
companion,  whom  I  got  before  I  heard  the 
scuffle  you  were  having  with  your  fellow." 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  201 

"111  call  the  others,"  and  with  the  words 
Tad  ran  to  the  base  of  the  cliff  and  shouted 
for  his  companions. 

Half  an  honr  later  the  party  gathered  about 
the  camp  fire.  Here  they  discussed  the  events 
of  the  evening.  They  decided  to  put  the  In- 
dians on  their  ponies,  to  which  they  would  be 
tied,  with  hands  free  and  with  provisions 
enough  to  last  until  they  should  reach  their 
reservation  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state. 

This  was  done.  Then,  after  transferring 
their  ammunition  to  his  own  kit,  the  guide  re- 
stored their  rifles  to  the  Indians  and  sent  them 
from  the  camp. 

"To-morrow  we'll  be  on  our  way  in  peace," 
said  the  guide  when  the  Indians  disappeared 
from  sight. 

A  week  later  the  party  reached  the  hamlet  of 
La  Luz  in  the  foothills  of  the  Sacramento  Moun- 
tains. They  arrived  on  the  eve  of  some  sort  of 
"fiesta"  and  found  the  village  gayly  decorated. 
Having  obtained  permission,  they  made  camp 
in  the  yard  of  a  little  abode  church  on  the  main 
street  of  the  village,  then  set  forth  to  learn 
about  the  gayeties  of  the  morrow. 

The  feast,  they  learned,  was  to  be  celebrated 
with  games  and  horsemanship. 

"Do  you  think  they'll  let  us  take  part?" 
asked  Tad  of  their  guide. 


202        THE   PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

"111  see.    I  think  it  can  be  arranged." 

Early  the  next  morning  the  visitors  began 
coming  to  town.  These  men  and  boys — ranch- 
men, Mexicans,  Indians,  halfbreeds — made  up 
a  picturesque  crowd  to  the  Pony  Rider  Boys. 

The  morning  was  given  over  to  racing,  rop- 
ing, gambling,  and  other  sports  at  which  the 
boys  were  content  to  be  onlookers.  But  in  the 
afternoon  was  a  tilting  bout,  open  to  all  comers, 
that  interested  Tad  Butler,  their  guide  having 
entered  him  in  this. 

The  tilting  ring,  suspended  from  the  top  of 
an  arch,  was  about  an  inch  in  diameter.  The 
horseman  who  could  impale  it  on  his  tilting  peg 
and  carry  the  ring  away  the  greatest  number 
of  times,  each  contestant  having  five  chances, 
would  win  the  prize,  a  pair  of  silver  spurs, 
which  would  be  presented  by  a  dark-eyed 
senorita,  the  proclaimed  beauty  of  the  town. 

When  Tad  saw  the  size  of  the  ring  and  real- 
ized that  he  had  never  seen  such  a  contest,  he 
felt  dubious  as  to  the  outcome.  But  of  the  ten 
contestants,  Tad's  place  was  eighth,  so  he  could 
watch  how  the  others  set  about  their  task. 
"When  his  turn  came  he  took  the  pole,  or  "peg" 
as  they  called  it,  which  had  been  lent  to  him, 
and  rode  full  tilt  at  the  arch.  "When  within  a 
few  feet  of  it  he  caught  the  sparkle  of  the  ring. 
His  pole,  fully  eight  feet  long,  went  up,  and, 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  203 

putting  spurs  to  his  pony,  he  galloped  through 
the  arch.  His  peg  struck  the  edge  of  the  ring, 
which  swayed  back  and  forth. 

"Rest  the  peg  lightly  against  your  side," 
advised  a  kindly-looking  man,  as  Tad  rode  back 
for  another  attempt. 

Five  of  the  contestants  had  put  the  point  of 
the  peg  through  the  ring,  carrying  it  away. 

On  Tad  Butler 's  second  attempt  he  drove  his 
pony  forward  at  a  speed  the  desert  ponies  could 
not  equal.  As  he  approached  the  arch  he  tilted 
the  peg  slightly  and  drove  it  through  the  center 
of  the  ring,  tearing  it  from  its  slender  fasten- 
ing and  carrying  it  away. 

All  but  Tad  and  one  man  finally  dropped  out. 
Each  of  these  had  had  four  chances  and  three 
strikes. 

"If  neither  scores  in  his  turn,"  announced 
the  scorer,  "both  will  be  ruled  out  and  others 
will  compete  for  the  prize." 

The  man,  a  Mexican,  rode  and  lost. 

Then  Tad.  Just  as  the  boy  approached  the 
arch,  some  one  yelled  and  a  sombrero  was 
hurled,  striking  the  lad  across  the  eyes.  Of 
course,  he  lost;  but  he  brought  his  pony  to  a 
standstill  as  soon  as  he  could,  displaying  no  ill- 
will,  though  believing  that  the  act  had  been 
malicious.  The  crowd,  though,  howled  its  dis- 
approval. 


204        JTHE   PONY  EIDEE  BOYS 

"The  boy  is  entitled  to  another  chance,"  de- 
clared the  scorer.  To  this  the  Mexican  ob- 
jected loudly. 

"As  my  opponent  objects  and  as  we  all  wish 
to  prevent  hard  feeling,  why  not  give  him  an- 
other chance  too?  If  he  wins  I  shall  be  satis- 
fied." 

A  shout  of  approval  greeted  this  suggestion 
of  Tad's  and  it  was  agreed  upon.  But  again 
the  Mexican  lost. 

Tad  was  not  interfered  with,  and  again  the 
point  of  his  peg  went  through  the  ring.  With- 
out halting  his  pony,  he  rode  on,  cut  a  circle, 
and  raced  back  at  a  gallop,  pulling  up  before 
the  stand  where  the  senorita  stood. 

Holding  the  ring  aloft  on  his  peg,  Tad  made 
the  pretty  senorita  a  sweeping  bow.  Amid  the 
applause  of  the  spectators,  she  handed  the  hand- 
some spurs  to  him,  smiling  boldly  into  his  eyes, 
for  Tad  Butler  was  a  good-looking  youth.  But 
Tad,  thoughts  on  the  spurs,  did  not  heed  the 
inviting  smile. 

Back  in  their  camp  by  the  adobe  church,  the 
boys  examined  the  spurs  carefully. 

"You're  in  luck,  Tad,"  said  Walter  Perkins. 
"These  are  beauties." 

"I  could  have  had  'em  myself  if  I'd  entered," 
drawled  Stacy  Brown.  "Tad  wouldn't  have 
had  a  chance." 


IN  NEW  MEXICO  205 


CHAPTER  XX 

CONCLUSION 

"fnf-^AD,  I  saw  that  fellow  Lasar  that  we 
heard  plotting  on  the  train — you  re- 
member?— get  off  the  stage  a  while 
ago." 

Tad  was  not  impressed  by  Stacy's  news. 
Tk3  matter  was  vague  in  his  mind.  Moreover, 
he  was  excited  by  seeing  a  man  introducing  him- 
self to  Professor  Zepplin  and  Mr.  Kringle. 

"Say,  Chunky,  let's  go  over  there.  That's 
the  man  who  told  me  how  to  handle  my  peg  and 
made  it  possible  for  me  to  win  those  spurs." 

The  two  boys  went  over  to  the  camp  fire. 

"This  is  Tad  Butler,  Mr.  Marquand.  Mr. 
James  Marquand  of  Albuquerque,  Tad.  This 
is  another  of  our  Pony  Rider  Boys,  Stacy 
Brown,"  said  the  professor,  introducing  the 
boys. 

"Marquand!"    Both  boys  were  excited. 

"Good  work  you  did  this  afternoon,  Butler." 

"It  was  your  advice  that  made  it  possible 
for  me  to  win  the  spurs,"  was  Tad's  reply. 

After  a  little  talk  Tad  found  the  opportunity 
to  say  to  Mr.  Marquand: 

"Stacy  and  I  have  something  to  tell  you,  Mr. 


206         THE   PONY  EIDEE  BOYS 

Marquand.  If  it's  all  the  same  to  you,  we'd 
like  to  go  to  your  hotel  room  where  well  not 
be  overheard. " 

Mr.  Marquand  looked  surprised,  but  agreed 
readily  and  cordially,  and,  after  telling  Pro- 
fessor Zepplin  where  they  were  going,  the  three 
left  the  camp  together. 

"Now,  boys,"  said  the  man  after  closing  the 
door  to  his  notel  room. 

"Do  you  know  a  man  by  the  name  of  Bob 
Lasar?"  asked  Tad,  who  was  to  be  spokesman. 

"Yes.  He  and  Joe  Comstock  are  associated 
with  me  in  a  business  venture." 

"In  your  search  for  treasure,  isn't  it?" 

James  Marquand  started  and  eyed  the  boys 
sharply. 

"What  of  Lasar?"  was  all  he  asked. 

Tad  Butler  told  what  they  had  heard  the  two 
men  say  on  the  train  and  added  the  information 
that  Stacy  had  seen  Lasar  that  day  in  La  Luz. 

1 1  Come,  boys.    Let 's  get  back  to  your  camp.  * ' 

Marquand 's  tone  was  quiet,  and  the  two  lads 
accompanied  him  to  the  camp,  wondering. 
Their  wonder  turned  to  excitement  when  Mr. 
Marquand,  having  interviewed  the  professor 
and  the  guide,  asked  the  four  boys  if  their  party 
would  accompany  him  on  a  treasure  hunt.  The 
hunt  would  take  them  about  two  days'  journey 
distant  to  the  ruins  of  an  old  Pueblo  house. 


IN   NEW  MEXICO  207 

"I'm  pretty  sure  of  my  tier  of  houses;  but 
some  of  these  adobe  houses  are  six  or  seven 
stories  high,  and  we  may  find  it  difficult  to  find 
the  treasure  after  we  reach  the  place." 

"Do  Lasar  and  Comstock  know  where  the 
place  is?"  asked  Stacy  Brown. 

"No.  I  was  to  give  them  the  details  to-night. 
Tad,  if  you  '11  go  back,  with  me  so  I  may  have  a 
witness,  I'll  have  it  out  with  them  at  once. 
They're  to  come  to  my  room  this  evening." 

At  first  Lasar  and  Comstock  simulated  sur- 
prise when  Mr.  Marquand  told  them  he  would 
have  no  more  to  do  with  them.  Then  they  be- 
came angry  and  abusive  in  their  language. 
Finally  Lasar  jerked  out  a  pistol. 

Tad  sprang  forward  and  struck  up  the  fel- 
low's arm.  There  was  a  deafening  report,  but 
the  bullet  buried  itself  in  the  ceiling. 

Tad,  knowing  there  were  other  cartridges  in 
the  chamber,  hung  to  the  man 's  arm,  and  though 
the  pistol  was  discharged,  no  aim  could  be 
taken.  Fighting  fiercely,  Tad  finally  gave  the 
man's  wrist  a  knock  that  sent  the  weapon  to 
the  floor.  Meanwhile,  Marquand,  after  a  strug- 
gle, had  disarmed  Comstock. 

The  noise  of  the  scuffle  brought  the  angry 
proprietor  to  the  room.  Just  as  he  bolted 
through  the  door,  Lasar  and  Comstock  leaped 
through  a  window  and  ran. 


208         THE   PONY  EIDER  BOYS 

" What's  the  meaning  of  this?"  snapped  the 
proprietor. 

"Attempted  murder!    Get  out  of  here!" 

Marquand  was  too  angry  to  say  more,  so 
Tad  explained,  and  at  length  soothed  the  owner 
of  the  place,  helped  by  the  fact  that  Marquand, 
having  cooled  down,  paid  liberally  for  the  dam- 
age that  had  been  done.  Then  man  and  boy 
left  the  hotel  and  went  to  the  camp  in  the 
churchyard.  They  were  careful  to  keep  to  the 
shadows  on  their  way,  as  it  was  more  than 
likely  that  either  Lasar  or  his  partner  would 
shoot  at  them  if  they  caught  sight  of  them. 

It  was  three  days  after  the  fight  in  the  hotel 
room,  and  the  party  had  moved  on  to  the 
Guadalupes. 

"The  moon  will  be  here  in  a  moment." 

"What  did  the  Pueblo  chief  say,  Mr.  Mar- 
quand?" 

"  'When  the  full  moon  has  come  and  shoots 
its  first  arrow  over  the  crests  of  the  Guadalupes 
it  points  the  way  to  the  treasure  of  my  ancient 
people,'  "  quoted  Mr.  Marquand.  "I  got  near 
enough  to  results  to  make  me  believe  I  have  the 
right  tier  of  houses.  Now  I  hope  to  find  the 
treasure,  though  we  may  have  to  search." 

"Wish  the  moon  would  rise  now  so  we  could 
begin  the  search,"  said  Stacy  wistfully. 

"We'll  eat  supper,  Chunky,  and  put  in  our 


IN   NEW   MEXICO  209 

time  that  way.  Won't  that  do  as  well?" 
laughed  Ned  Eector. 

"I'll  say  it  will!"  agreed  Stacy. 

Just  before  the  moon  would  arise  all  crowded 
into  a  cool  upper  chamber  in  a  tier  of  houses. 
.The  tradition  had  been  handed  down  by  word 
of  mouth  in  one  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  if 
there  were  a  treasure,  no  human  eyes  had  seen 
it  for  many  generations.  The  heavy  wooden 
door  was  closed  and  all  was  darkness  within. 

"Better  leave  the  door  open,"  grumbled 
Stacy. f  "No  ray  of  moonlight  can  pierce  into 
this  place." 

But  just  at  that  moment  a  slender  shaft  of 
light  pierced  the  blackness.  Evidently,  there 
was  some  crack  in  the  walls  of  the  cave  that 
permitted  the  light  to  penetrate  for  a  moment. 
The  ray  lay  across  the  chamber,  ending  abruptly 
on  the  adobe  floor  three  feet  from'  the  wall. 

Mr.  Marquand  sprang  forward  and  hastily 
scratched  a  cross  at  the  spot  where  the  ray  of 
light  stopped.  None  too  soon  was  this  done. 
The  light  disappeared,  and  Ned  murmured : 

"We've  followed  the  silver  trail  to  its  end." 

"Perhaps,"  said  Marquand,  as  he  lighted  a 
lantern  and  got  out  the  tools  they  had  brought. 

First  the  door  was  barred  with  a  heavy  piece 
of  timber,  then  Marquand  and  the  boys  set  to 
work  with  a  will  to  dig. 


210         THE   PONY  RIDER   BOYS 

It  was  arduous  work,  and  the  boys  were  becom- 
ing discouraged.  Digging  at  the  spot  where 
the  silver  ray  had  ended,  they  found  nothing. 

"The  Indians  knew  astronomy  only  by  see- 
ing, not  as  mathematicians.  Dig  further  away," 
advised  the  professor. 

This  was  done,  and  at  last  a  great  shout  went 
up.  The  digging  had  disclosed  a  short  stair- 
way, built  of  the  same  material  of  which  the 
house  had  been  constructed. 

But  disappointment  awaited  them  after  they 
were  in  the  lower  chamber.  No  treasure  could 
be  found.  Hope  arose  again,  however,  when 
Professor  Zepplin  discovered  another  flight  of 
eteps.  Down  these  they  hurried.  Then  excite- 
ment reigned. 

"Give  me  the  maul!"  shouted  Marquand. 

After  a  fierce  bout  of  pounding  and  prying, 
an  iron  chest  was  forced  from  the  floor  of  this 
chamber  and  the  cover  broken  open. 

"Look!"  yelled  Stacy.  "Nuggets  of  gold! 
Silver !  Old  Spanish  coins — I  guess  that's  what 
they  are,"  he  added  doubtfully. 

"Let's  count  it,"  said  Ned  Rector  gleefully. 

"Better  get  it  out  and  to  a  bank  as  soon  as 
possible,"  advised  Kris  Kringle. 

"If  we  can,"  said  Professor  Zepplin.  ""We 
jnay  have  been  followed.  Have  you  a  legal 
claim  to  this,  Mr.  Marquand?" 


IN   NEW  MEXICO  211 

"Yes.  I  bought  up  a  hundred  acres  about 
here  and  have  the  deeds  already  recorded." 

The  guide  went  up  first  and  cautiously  opened 
the  door.  The  professor  was  right.  They  had 
been  followed,  for  a  fusillade  of  shots  greeted 
the  opening  of  the  heavy  door. 

"Those  fellows  can  starve  us  out  if  we  stay 
here,  and  we  can't  get  away  through  the  front," 
said  Tad.  ' '  But  I  think  I  could  get  through  that 
hole  up  there — none  of  you  men  could  get 
through — then,  with  that  rope  yonder,  I  could 
let  myself  down  and  go  for  help." 

Eeluctantly,  the  men  consented.  Otherwise 
it  would  be  attack  or  starvation.  Tad  gone* 
hours  of  anxious  waiting  passed.  Occasionally, 
Mr,  Kringle  or  Mr.  Marquand  would  shoot 
from  the  door,  to  be  answered  by  a  volley  from 
the  besiegers.  Those  inside  did  not  dare  use 
up  their  ammunition,  yet  they  wished  to  keep 
the  besiegers  from  approaching  too  close. 

It  was  two  in  the  morning  when  numerous! 
shots  were  heard.  Then  came  answering  shots, 
but  the  bullets  were  not  trained  on  the  adobe 
house.  After  this  it  was  not  long  before  the 
besiegers,  completely  surrounded  by  a  sheriff's 
posse,  were  all  in  custody.  Among  them  was 
the  Mexican  whom  Tad  had  defeated  in  tilting 
at  the  ring,  as  well  as  Lasar  and  Comstock. 

The  besieged  got  away  with  the  treasure,  Mr, 


212        THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS 

Marquand  going  with  it  to  the  nearest  bank 
with  the  posse  as  a  guard  while  the  Pony  Rider 
Boys  returned  to  their  camp,  Tad  Butler  the 
hero  of  the  occasion. 

When  the  treasure  was  counted  it  amounted 
to  about  sixty  thousand  dollars.  Though  they 
protested,  the  boys  and  Mr.  Kringle  and  Pro- 
fessor Zepplin  were  each  forced  by  Mr.  Mar- 
quand to  accept  a  check  for  two  thousand  dol- 
lars. 

A  week  after  the  finding  of  the  treasure  the 
boys  were  back  in  Chillicothe. 

"The  end  of  a  silver  trail,"  said  Tad  Butler, 
as  they  alighted  from  the  train  in  their  home 
town. 

"What  happened  to  the  boys  later  can  be  read 
of  in  "The  Pony  Rider  Boys  or  the  ..Grand 
Canyon;  or,  The  Mystery  of  Bright  Angel 
Gulch." 

THE  END 


